tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-50320063701888608622024-02-06T23:51:58.874-08:00Politics For BlondesHailey Dunnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10209251782564923582noreply@blogger.comBlogger65125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5032006370188860862.post-7476295093434611812013-07-01T22:51:00.003-07:002013-07-01T23:00:10.969-07:00Sit Down, Wendy Davis.<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
The following article was penned earlier this evening. The photos and editorials from the protests in Austin are courtesy of the bottle of wine I found chilling in my crisper. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLDQXfujZwk2Y_QxVIgK83G2PAglOPk1-jSHihyphenhyphenWqvE58TZOhgrwXoNX1ARJVp2F878_3EZeSQswdyKm7Qk-wSsBBGSujM0IOkACxGyqPs9Hx0IZUVsoNPrkSlV46FFPnzOxYfcq4B66zr/s612/enhanced-buzz-4143-1372713176-4.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLDQXfujZwk2Y_QxVIgK83G2PAglOPk1-jSHihyphenhyphenWqvE58TZOhgrwXoNX1ARJVp2F878_3EZeSQswdyKm7Qk-wSsBBGSujM0IOkACxGyqPs9Hx0IZUVsoNPrkSlV46FFPnzOxYfcq4B66zr/s320/enhanced-buzz-4143-1372713176-4.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">Still went home alone.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">Were you drunk when you made this sign? </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">You all have got to stop calling each other sluts and whores. It just makes it ok for guys to call you sluts and whores</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6NA0csvn5kEIbHriZUKvLEmiqK7OnLFt0NuVQYzZyFBaWTwkUpHEZH_pPNH759w-UOQZmS5SXKdejOfJLIaANmQSrAs-RSlbv07phhlW1WENnA0ChjOK11bKHHN2Q8AMdCy7i-x45TM8-/s612/enhanced-buzz-27422-1372713005-17.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6NA0csvn5kEIbHriZUKvLEmiqK7OnLFt0NuVQYzZyFBaWTwkUpHEZH_pPNH759w-UOQZmS5SXKdejOfJLIaANmQSrAs-RSlbv07phhlW1WENnA0ChjOK11bKHHN2Q8AMdCy7i-x45TM8-/s320/enhanced-buzz-27422-1372713005-17.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">Is it that the government is small enough or that you're...?</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-rhXttaLuy4iohS52igpBppkRF7qyYsKprNGWwaGwYJQCMlU93WgwQ2s5JSKGWYzauwWsSz9g3UaZnQ29ArvYpxlNntBlYqTrr7wCDbeLCwT-ZR9dMMoIJKoE-zFjl4VwbM48W5hzupZK/s612/enhanced-buzz-26327-1372712984-2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-rhXttaLuy4iohS52igpBppkRF7qyYsKprNGWwaGwYJQCMlU93WgwQ2s5JSKGWYzauwWsSz9g3UaZnQ29ArvYpxlNntBlYqTrr7wCDbeLCwT-ZR9dMMoIJKoE-zFjl4VwbM48W5hzupZK/s320/enhanced-buzz-26327-1372712984-2.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">Just one? Now we know why you're there...</span></div>
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Today, the Texas legislature began its second special session. The issue on the lips of people the world over to be determined during this session? Abortion rights. The bill at hand was presented to be voted on by the Senate last week, but due to a catheter-using, pink-shoe-wearing nightmare of a woman and her loud-mouthed followers, the bill could not be voted on in time to make it under the deadline for the initial special session. Not to be outdone, Governor Rick Perry called a second session to show that obnoxious anarchists would not act as a determining factor in Texas legislation under his watch.<br />
So what does this bill really say? It states that abortions after 20 weeks would be banned in the state of Texas. That is 5 months. A woman has 5 months to decide if she would like to have an abortion. Additionally, it would raise the standards for those clinics providing the abortions to make them safer for women receiving the procedures. Part of this would necessitate that the performing physician have admitting rights at a hospital within 30 miles of where the procedure would take place. Due to geographic locations, this would hurt most clinics. Only 5 would be left running as they would be the only ones able to comply with these stringent new rules. <br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj28ujgm1f7NsNjD9I5EAeGSqPFtdnr93rSXY33wXInCtgBqf5wCughh_Gr9n28beUucVblR4xVjNT5Yn1xMTEnMydX_9chnE76nW7dVFIlVktpmvYjgpyaddG_rBUIg6GvenOQCTwE11M9/s425/pregnancy-week-20-425ds112509.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="253" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj28ujgm1f7NsNjD9I5EAeGSqPFtdnr93rSXY33wXInCtgBqf5wCughh_Gr9n28beUucVblR4xVjNT5Yn1xMTEnMydX_9chnE76nW7dVFIlVktpmvYjgpyaddG_rBUIg6GvenOQCTwE11M9/s400/pregnancy-week-20-425ds112509.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">Also, for the record, this is a fetus at 20 weeks gestation. And yes, that is a face, not a clump of cells.</span></div>
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According to the internet and MSM in general, 99.9999% of the world wants to see this bill go down. However, according to a poll conducted by the University of Texas and the Texas Tribune, 16% of Texans favor an outright ban on abortion, 30% only in cases of rape, incest or danger to the mother's life and 13% only where need is established; comprising 59% of Texas voters surveyed. Thirty-six percent of voters surveyed thought it should be left to personal choice and 5% didn't know. Furthermore, 38% of voters surveyed thought that Texas abortion laws should be more strict and 21% thought they should be left as is. Only 26% favored lessening the current restrictions. Sixty-two percent of voters surveyed said they would support a ban on abortions after 20 weeks on the grounds that a fetus could feel pain with 49% strongly supporting that position. Even without the qualification of the fetus' ability to feel pain, 62% still supported a ban after 20 weeks with 47% saying they would strongly support the ban.<br />
In 2008, the Allen Guttmacher Institute (Planned Parenthood's research affiliate) reported 1.21 million abortions were performed in the United States alone. While the CDC compiles its own figures, a number of states fail to contribute their statistics, leaving the numbers hopelessly skewed. A common argument for allowing abortions is "what about victims of rape and incest?" Rape and incest comprise approximately 1% of all abortions performed and according to the 1987 by the institute, 95% of that 1% claimed a motive beyond the rape or incest for wanting the procedure. In 2004, an updated study by the Guttmacher Institute found that 92% of the women surveyed sought out a medical abortion for "social or other reasons", that is to say, medically unnecessary for the health of both the mother and child. "Social" reasons ranged from not being able to afford a child to not wanting to be a single parent and even to not feeling mature enough to have a child (but they were mature enough to have sex, go figure.)<br />
The remaining eight percent was left with 4% of mother's fearing for their health, 3% fearing for the fetus's and 1% for rape/incest.<br />
Anytime this issue is adressed, it seems to become a "war on women" with men trying to control the bodies of their fairer counterparts. However, I propose that in seeking to limit the scope of abortionists, the politicians are not mounting a war on women, but attempting to diffuse a war against people of color. Hear me out. The founder of Planned Parenthood, Margaret Sanger, was a devout racist. In a 1939 letter she penned, she said "We do not want the word to go out that we want to exterminate the negro population?" While democrats like Barack Obama laud Ms Sanger's establishment of the clinic, they fail to adress this inconvenient fact alongside the fact that many of her clinics have come to reside in urban neighborhoods much less frequented by white faces. According to the US Census, in 2007 of all white women in the United states age 15-44, the abortion rate was 13.8 per 1,000 women. Among African Americans, the abortion rate was 48.2 abortions per 1,000 women, just shy of 4 times the rate in white women. For other races, the abortion rate was 21.6 per 1,000 women, almost twice the rate of white women.<br />
According to Gallup polling, currently, approximately 48% of Americans identify as pro-life and 45% identifying as pro-choice. An inconvenient truth for the likes of Wendy Davis? Maybe, but she'll be dammed if she's going to let the public know THAT statistic.<br />
If you are at all squeamish, look no further. A huge part of the aim of SB5 is to improve the quality of facilities and doctor performing these operations to prevent abortionists like Kermit Gosnell from harmng Texas women. The following is just a few pictures from his little shop of horrors.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0S0gUFugGBgFjqN2r5Kv0rpPfTQd2M4sL8a0n-_m4W-dNBhKbXVc91PEkd4zLmc2TRkA7SpvVhI7zevR9uIgAHM5oh2cmYeU38KbUTz80zR4rPpHAo4h99jY19NUriAjo_6PE_AzQ4Mci/s500/36e123efd9b3c95a2f519b78789161e7.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="223" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0S0gUFugGBgFjqN2r5Kv0rpPfTQd2M4sL8a0n-_m4W-dNBhKbXVc91PEkd4zLmc2TRkA7SpvVhI7zevR9uIgAHM5oh2cmYeU38KbUTz80zR4rPpHAo4h99jY19NUriAjo_6PE_AzQ4Mci/s400/36e123efd9b3c95a2f519b78789161e7.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">(Clockwise from top right) A refridgerator with parts of aborted fetuses, an aborted fetus that was approximately 30 weeks old and was joked by Gosnell to be "Big enough to walk to the bus stop", another aborted fetus and the snipped spinal cord of a baby that was "aborted"</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXXu-TavUdZeRxD_tfD4fk7u5Vj3i1h6x-Dh9sYOJ5xcuu4Nzi5HcGo0jG6N5lS9UWjVjSztd026TILRcsfCQetP3cwdp2u_R09SGa21GuCr9O23QMhI0E77XiLDM0dLjhMD6cA8tpSOm5/s907/gosnell.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="230" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXXu-TavUdZeRxD_tfD4fk7u5Vj3i1h6x-Dh9sYOJ5xcuu4Nzi5HcGo0jG6N5lS9UWjVjSztd026TILRcsfCQetP3cwdp2u_R09SGa21GuCr9O23QMhI0E77XiLDM0dLjhMD6cA8tpSOm5/s400/gosnell.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjJhqyD3i4Y62Af_GOeQMqYEPtB2DWwJ1msJq7bCA-IFn6GUYXPPi9X4VnIpcihJ2ezymfKmpENx9Q838r-pt1xhMNDvt-bSUPGK-CV2Y7XYxFEEZWw1x1hbphlS4KT_T0WvhIHsl1SV1B/s460/gosnell45.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjJhqyD3i4Y62Af_GOeQMqYEPtB2DWwJ1msJq7bCA-IFn6GUYXPPi9X4VnIpcihJ2ezymfKmpENx9Q838r-pt1xhMNDvt-bSUPGK-CV2Y7XYxFEEZWw1x1hbphlS4KT_T0WvhIHsl1SV1B/s400/gosnell45.jpg" width="300" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">Waiting room Gossnell's patients (victims) waited in prior to their procedures</span></div>
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Many consider Gossnell's atrocities to be a problem that was an outlier in the system far removed from Texas, but it is not. As late as May 2013, abortionist Douglas Karpen of Houston, TX has been accused of murdering babies able to sustain outside of the womb in late term abortions in his THREE clinics. While his actions are considered illegal under even the current restrictions, cracking down on abortion clinics and more strictly regulating those that do operate would go a long way in preserving the sanctity of life for both the mother and child. </div>
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Hailey Dunnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10209251782564923582noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5032006370188860862.post-65827501139983594312013-05-09T10:18:00.003-07:002013-05-09T10:18:53.211-07:00A Simplistic Explanation of America's Political Descent
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This was for my intro to American government course I took this year. Very shallow analysis, but it was an intro course. </div>
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According to
Rasmussen Reports, as of May 2<sup>nd</sup>, 2013, Barack Obama’s approval
rating sits at forty-seven percent, while his disapproval rate is at fifty-two
percent. This is the lowest his approval rating has been since his reelection.
Further more, only twenty-four percent of the electorate surveyed says that
they strongly approve of his performance, while forty percent strongly
disapprove of his job performance.<a href="http://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=5032006370188860862#_ftn1" name="_ftnref" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]-->[1]<!--[endif]--></span></a>
This has been blamed on partisan preference, skewed polling results and the
fact that the president gets all of the glory in good times and all of the
blame in bad times. It is of note though that in modern American politics,
substantial portions of the population are always fiercely unhappy with the
President, Congress, parties and interest groups, and there is seemingly
nothing anyone can to about that. This problem is complex, but for the interest
of generality, it should be considered threefold: extreme partisanship,
unparalleled dissemination of information via the Internet to the electorate,
and misrepresentation of constituents by elected officials. </div>
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According to <i>Gallup</i>, presidential approval in modern
history peaked with John F Kennedy Jr. with his average approval rating being
seventy-point one percent.<a href="http://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=5032006370188860862#_ftn2" name="_ftnref" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]-->[2]<!--[endif]--></span></a>
This could be attributable to his not having served a full term and thus the
results of his policies never being fully realized, or it could be directly
correlated to his being the first televised presidency that showcased what is
thought to be the most charismatic United States president. Previously, presidents
had reached out to the masses via print and radio, but never before had a
campaign debate been televised. Despite the fact that by all accounts Nixon won
the debate on merit, Kennedy won by the fact that he was so much better suited
to the camera. From that moment on, public persona came to play a larger role
in presidential elections. While affairs were known to pervade the highest
office in America, they were never seen as definitive of the president’s term
in office. This changed however with the election of Bill Clinton. Bill Clinton
came into office after twelve years of republican leadership (and abysmal
democratic leadership the previous four years before that). His presidency was
however marred by scandal when news of his infidelity with a White House intern
broke via the <i>Drudge Report</i> and was
later picked up by the more mainstream, <i>The
Washington Post</i>.<a href="http://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=5032006370188860862#_ftn3" name="_ftnref" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]-->[3]<!--[endif]--></span></a> This was
really the Internet’s first foray into directly influencing politics.
Officially gone were the days that all Americans received their news from the
same news outlet with one side of the story being presented. This opened the
proverbial Pandora’s box in that the electorate now realized that from the Internet,
they could ascertain more information from more sources and compare the facts
of positions and issues more easily. From there, the Internet exploded. Debates
from the 2012 election were viewed by millions of people the world over live
via Google, YouTube, CNN and more with many offering charts at the bottom of
the screen that showed electorate approval dipping and peaking as the
candidates were speaking. Furthermore, social networks such as Facebook and
Twitter played vital roles in this past election in that people on either coast
were able to instantaneously communicate with one another and debate amongst
themselves. From this, Romney’s “binders of women” and promise to fire Big Bird
took on a life of their own as they became blog fodder for weeks after the
debates. </div>
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The internet, as
it relates to politics, is a two edged sword as it allows for the immediate
sharing of information from various sources to people all over the world, not
just within the confines of the United States. However, it also allows off hand
remarks to become overexposed and be ruthlessly torn apart long after they are
made. Additionally, the Internet allows for the dissemination of false
information that has a tendency to go mainstream. An asterisk to how the
Internet has undermined politics must be made to include the sharing of lewd
and/or embarrassing pictures of politicians via the Internet. This has done
incalculable damage to candidates and their respective parties. Essentially,
the proliferation of television, and now the Internet, has allowed the electorate
to see every flaw of politicians and blow them out of proportion. <i><o:p></o:p></i></div>
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The cynicism and
disappointment coming from the electorate cannot be solely based upon the Internet
however. Partisanship has been crucial in the devolution of modern politics. In
the mid 19<sup>th</sup> century, the United States divided into the North (The
Union) and the South (The
Confederates). These were essentially different countries, but were in fact
still one in the same. These factions were divided on the basis of what was at
its basest level, political ideological differences, with elements of racism
and state pride mixed in. Today, democrats and republicans have split off into
two separate factions of their own, with their own respective network news
stations, websites and clubs. This fracture that has split America has led to
violence, racism and class-warfare that has more in common with the Civil War than
most would care to admit. One of the main differences would be that the
Southern states tend to lean Republican this time around, whereas they were
previously largely democratic.<i><o:p></o:p></i></div>
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The average voter
has never heard of the delegate, trustee and responsible parties models.
Research suggests that on easier to understand issues (i.e. racial issues,
etc…) voters would prefer that their elected officials acted as delegates,
directly representing the beliefs and wishes of their constituents when voting.
On issues of economics, discerning a stance can prove too taxing for many
average voters, so they trust that through the trustee model that their
representative will vote how he or she thinks most of the constituents would
vote were they to fully understand the matter at hand. Lastly, many voters
would have their elected official vote with their party alignment on matters of
foreign affairs so as to more easily assign blame and gratitude.<a href="http://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=5032006370188860862#_ftn4" name="_ftnref" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]-->[4]<!--[endif]--></span></a> However, voters do not and will not
ever understand the nuances of these three models and no entire constituency
will be comfortable with how their elected official chooses to apply them to their
own voting. On some level, yes, the political elites have become too far
removed from the people that they represent, especially in a day in age when
career politicians reign supreme. Votes tend to be cast often times for
political reasons with little to no regard for the stance of their
constituency. Members of congress needing support for a bill may solicit votes
from fellow members in exchange for help with a bill they are spear heading. An
interest group could influence a
member of congress to vote contrary to what the people who elected him or her
would want him to. Whether or not this is an example of failure on the part of
political elites or a testament to the power of interest groups and lobbyists
is up for debate.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-indent: .25in;">
Congress tends to
be the most directly linked to the American people, causing this particular
branch to take the majority of the flack. However, the executive office is far
from immune to the sting of the scorned electorate. In short terms, it could
easily be argued that a lot of Americans do not know what the job of the
president entails. If the economy is bad, it is the president’s fault. If the
price of gas increases, it is the president’s fault. If it rains on a picnic,
it is the president’s fault. This is a position with significant power not only
within the United States, but also in the world. This position is not however
God, something people seem to forget. President Obama is inextricably linked too
much of the policy making in this country as he has the power to veto
legislation, influence policy and act as the face of America for foreign
affairs. With his spearheading of the very controversial Patient Protection and
Affordable Care Act, he is rightly lauded by his fans and raked across the
coals by his opponents. This legislation was the basis of his 2008 campaign and
the finishing of it a substantial portion of his 2012 platform. In this
instance, it is not unreasonable for voters to hold the executive office
accountable. To blame President Bush for the entirety of the recession was not,
but more simplistically minded voters did not understand the abstracts of the
situation and did just that. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-indent: .25in;">
Until the American voting pool becomes
more educated, it will continue to demand more from politicians than they can
possibly give. It is completely reasonable to expect congressional members to
vote in the way they were elected to do, but they cannot be held responsible
for pleasing everyone. While the president can have a great effect on many aspects
of policy and legislation, this position is not solely responsible for every
aspect of government, a fact that many Americans should be made aware of. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-indent: .25in;">
To put it simply,
the political elites have largely failed. While it can be hard to discern
exactly what constituents want from their elected officials, it can be argued
that the elected officials are not really even trying to figure that out
anymore. Career politician has
become an unofficial job title with, at the federal level, no term limits on
those elected to congress, the body of government supposedly most relatable to
the average person. Sadly, these career politicians care most about reelection
and with Americans reelecting ninety percent of United State House incumbents
and ninety-one percent of United States Senate incumbents, once elected they’re
pretty much set. Americans are so busy bickering in the comments section of
Yahoo articles and buying bumper stickers to reflect their political ideology
that they do not take the time to ensure that the person they are putting into
office adequately reflects their own views. This leads directly into the
problem of partisanship, as Republican voters tend to vote for the Republican
candidate and Democrat voters for the democrat candidate, regardless of their
specific policy preferences. Because politicians realize this, once elected
they tend to do what they want once in Washington, regardless of what their
constituents would want from them. Sure, once they are in office they will go
to a few parades in their district and make everyone feel special because they
got to meet Senator X and he shook their hand and was a real nice guy. Then
they go back up to Washington and fail their constituents again. That same
voter who had the best handshake of his or her life will read about how a bill
that they felt so passionately for was defeated and they will curse congress
and the president and God and everyone, but they won’t check to see how their
elected official voted. They will not see that he was part of the majority that
voted against the bill. So then come the next election they will vote him back
into office and the cycle continues. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-indent: .25in;">
While the
founding fathers would have never in their wildest dreams have imagined the
globalization and technological advances that now play an inextricable role in
American politics, they did see partisanship as a great danger. Federalist No.
10 is evidence that the founders of this country had no intentions of American
politics being as partisan as it has become. In its very first lines, the
document says that “<span style="line-height: 200%;">among</span> <span style="line-height: 200%;">the numerous advantages promised by
a well constructed Union, none deserves to be more accurately developed than
its tendency to break and control the violence of faction. The friend of
popular governments never finds himself so much alarmed for their character and
fate, as when he contemplates their propensity to this dangerous vice”.<a href="http://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=5032006370188860862#_ftn5" name="_ftnref" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]-->[5]<!--[endif]--></span></a>
This is to say that fervent opponent of factionalism and author of this paper,
James Madison, saw it as one of the chief duties of any adequate union to
prevent and/or stop the proliferation of factions, as they would work to weaken
the union. The pessimism towards the government has a great many sources, but
is deeply rooted in the extreme partisanship that has divided states, cities
and even at times families within America.</span><o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-indent: .25in;">
Every branch of
the political system must work to restore the public’s confidence in the
system, or else it is doomed to further deteriorate. The office of the
president should lead by example in overhauling its own image. Lofty campaign
promises are made, but seldom kept. In President Obama’s first bid for the
White House, he promised an improved economy, a prompt evacuation of American
troops from Middle Eastern countries and transparency throughout. Whether or
not his promises were well intended, they were not put into practice on the timetable
he had given or in some cases, at all. This caused him to lose a rather
substantial number of formerly ardent supporters as the hope and change they
had voted for was slow coming. </div>
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Congress bears
what is arguably the brunt of public scorn as these people are more accessible
to the average voter than offices such as the presidency. In order to restore
public confidence in congress, representatives and senators would do well to be
more in tune with and available to their constituency. In a day in which
members of congress vote on whims or to comply with a fellow congress member or
interest group, voters feel that they have no real say in policy, a feeling
that generates extreme apathy. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-indent: .25in;">
American politics
has been condensed down to a two party system with various other, smaller
factions that have little power other than to detract votes from the mainstream
parties. These two parties, the GOP and Democratic Party, are accountable for
nearly everything good and bad that their respective members do. Because of
this, when a Republican congressman says something to the effect of rape acting
as its own form of birth control, the entire GOP takes the heat from the media,
democratic elites and inevitably the American people. The same can be said of
scandals within the Democratic Party. These slip-ups seem to be becoming more
and more frequent, but are in large part garnering this level of publicity
because the other party’s incessant attempts to denigrate the opposition and
the media being ever willing to oblige them. Once this reaches the public, the
public finds the party to be more corrupt than they had previously thought and
can become disenfranchised with the party system. If the parties were able to
be less antagonistic of one another, it is possible that bipartisanship of both
government elites and the people would be more easily achieved, but that would
be a long shot. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-indent: .25in;">
Interest groups
at their purest form are some of the best-intended aspects of the political
system. Their intent is to represent a group of likeminded individuals to
perpetuate a belief or cause to a level that reaches the government elites and
impacts legislation. However, these groups often distort and corrupt their
initial positions in the name of gaining political and/or cultural prominence.
They also frequently work to sway votes by congressional members and
underhandedly sway policy by all branches of government. Most Americans are
blissfully unaware of the power of interest groups, but these groups tend to
act as one of the chief problems in legislation not reflecting the wishes of
voters. In short, interest groups need more regulation so as to limit their
scope of power. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-indent: .25in;">
The media has in
large part in the last several years been considered an extension of the Obama
White House, with Fox News being the glaring exception. Because of this,
liberals tend to hear what they want to from the mainstream media, or MSM,
while conservatives marvel at its one-sidedness. Gone are the days that bias
was said to be the worst quality any reputable news source could have. Today,
there are news stations, newspapers, magazines and websites for literally any
political bias an American could possibly have. Because of this, people tend to
tune into what they consider to be their opinion’s respective news source so
that they can hear what they want to hear and then look down on the opposition.
This has done more to promote partisanship than either political party could
have ever fathomed. While it may be refreshing to hear the news from a like-minded
source, this has caused different factions to have entirely different facts on
issues and created further political discontentment. If possible, a less
polarized media would be one of the best ways to branch the partisan divide in
America. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-indent: .25in;">
To ask what is
wrong with American politics is a question bound to be responded to with snorts
of derision. Everyone knows there is a grave problem, but no one is willing to
bend enough to make bipartisanship happen. The elites continue to seek power as
the people sit idly by, convinced that corruption in Washington has reached the
point of no return with the media goading them on in this belief. The problems
in D.C. are many, but the ultimate solution to many of these problems would be to
take sincere steps towards bipartisanship. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-left: .25in;">
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Rasmussen Reports™."</span> <i><span style="background-color: white; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial;">Daily Presidential
Tracking Poll - Rasmussen Reports™</span></i><span style="background-color: white; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial;">. N.p., n.d. Web. 02 May 2013.</span><o:p></o:p></div>
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Gallup Historical Statistics and Trends."</span> <i><span style="background-color: white; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial;">Presidential Approval Ratings</span></i><span style="background-color: white; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial;">. N.p., n.d. Web. 02 May 2013.</span><span style="font-size: 10pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<a href="http://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=5032006370188860862#_ftnref" name="_ftn3" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]-->[3]<!--[endif]--></span></a> <i><span style="background-color: white; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial;">CNN</span></i><span style="background-color: white; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial;">. Cable News Network, n.d. Web. 02 May 2013.</span><span style="font-size: 10pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<a href="http://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=5032006370188860862#_ftnref" name="_ftn4" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]-->[4]<!--[endif]--></span></a> <span style="background-color: white; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial;">Jillson, Calvin C.</span> <i><span style="background-color: white; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial;">American Government: Political Development and Institutional
Change</span></i><span style="background-color: white; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial;">. New York:
Routledge, 2009. Print.</span><o:p></o:p></div>
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Change</span></i><span style="background-color: white; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial;">. New York:
Routledge, 2009. Print.</span><span style="font-size: 10pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<!--EndFragment-->Hailey Dunnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10209251782564923582noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5032006370188860862.post-89229477664463576752013-03-06T09:47:00.002-08:002013-03-06T09:50:01.483-08:00Hugo Chavez- Another Dictator Bites The DustImagine you are drowning, and then someone starts asking you to group, list and tell minute differences between things that are is essence the same effing thing: That is what it is like studying for the LSAT. That is why I no longer have friends or free time and why this blog has been so neglected.<br />
In international news, yesterday the world lost the dictator Hugo Chavez, causing a few of the Hollywood bleeding hearts to lose a few extra drops today. Below is a list of just some of the friends Chavez had in American celebrities.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgA-VQp5xV-yhFsiqb_1M5hO4HE77dMu3uGcXWD00ixaD_PweVCijIqOf5GSHa1b94HX3ThAjlurypb8L0hptHe8nRLYKTnosrLBLBep3MZg-PZQp1vXfOimXkEIu1-SPT3GrBkngQiZ75/s1600/xin_442090609102739012872116.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="222" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgA-VQp5xV-yhFsiqb_1M5hO4HE77dMu3uGcXWD00ixaD_PweVCijIqOf5GSHa1b94HX3ThAjlurypb8L0hptHe8nRLYKTnosrLBLBep3MZg-PZQp1vXfOimXkEIu1-SPT3GrBkngQiZ75/s320/xin_442090609102739012872116.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">Michael Moore</span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">"54 countries around the world allowed the US to detain(& torture) suspects. Latin America, thanks 2 Chávez, was the only place that said no."</span></span><span style="font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; text-align: left;"><br style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" /></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZBCIeHd9KGeqh_c53XoLwflgiQy2TI_aasacx-LS3jxmNtUVy1MsEHmeOqBJljyCQ0CLD3p7rW-2p2V11BlmQ-lF9LbDZmh79g3SquuCg0CSSWCbdv7NOiM066qqbsm0tgryt31i5hTY_/s1600/Sean+Penn+Meets+Hugo+Chavez+Wt8ZDU-8ZBgl.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZBCIeHd9KGeqh_c53XoLwflgiQy2TI_aasacx-LS3jxmNtUVy1MsEHmeOqBJljyCQ0CLD3p7rW-2p2V11BlmQ-lF9LbDZmh79g3SquuCg0CSSWCbdv7NOiM066qqbsm0tgryt31i5hTY_/s320/Sean+Penn+Meets+Hugo+Chavez+Wt8ZDU-8ZBgl.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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Sean Penn</div>
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<span style="background-color: white; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">"Today the people of the United States lost a friend it never knew it had. And poor people around the world lost a champion. I lost a friend I was blessed to have. My thoughts are with the family of President Chavez and the people of Venezuela." </span></span><span style="font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; text-align: left;"><br style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" /></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEguQYochCJmxOMu8KTiB5dRSbGOEEPxWlmqrDBeu6s9wugDvcWS-0hCBBPmSxjNWeFHx7ZL9LnGgO3cDr-JRhlgcr0SNIHJM_wfSUZDwSHdkjZRc2DlMiSDN8I1wm5zIEfQkHUA8JDsmuVK/s1600/Hugo-Chavez-and-Oliver-Stone1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEguQYochCJmxOMu8KTiB5dRSbGOEEPxWlmqrDBeu6s9wugDvcWS-0hCBBPmSxjNWeFHx7ZL9LnGgO3cDr-JRhlgcr0SNIHJM_wfSUZDwSHdkjZRc2DlMiSDN8I1wm5zIEfQkHUA8JDsmuVK/s320/Hugo-Chavez-and-Oliver-Stone1.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">Oliver Stone</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="background-color: white; text-align: left;"><br />''I mourn a great hero to the majority of his people and those who struggle throughout the world for a place," he said. "Hated by the entrenched classes, </span></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="background-color: white; text-align: left;">Hugo Chavez will live forever in history. My friend, rest finally in a peace long earned."</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="text-align: left;"><br /></span></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkrk9scBTMyKS7Pwo0ARbea2yw_wJWTddI0wclXGcRq3MRl_JqMJFbixp-DV9fgfdy1NStItWm4Rcz-P3_eVDnVMUko3oJX6IKSR78md2lNcZVihQOIjdupaT4ko4nCjdXiuEUMkpyoJdF/s1600/360_dglover_chavez_0523.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="208" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkrk9scBTMyKS7Pwo0ARbea2yw_wJWTddI0wclXGcRq3MRl_JqMJFbixp-DV9fgfdy1NStItWm4Rcz-P3_eVDnVMUko3oJX6IKSR78md2lNcZVihQOIjdupaT4ko4nCjdXiuEUMkpyoJdF/s320/360_dglover_chavez_0523.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="text-align: left;">Danny Glover</span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; line-height: 18px; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">Danny Glover visited Venezuela along with the SEIU vice president and African-American activists in January 2004. He later met Chavez in January 2006 on a delegation led by actor Harry Belafonte. When Chavez visited New York in September 2006 to address the United Nations General Assembly, Glover introduced Chavez to speak at an oil-for-poor event at a Harlem church. In May 2007, the Venezuelan parliament approved $20 million to finance two Glover films, including the movie "Toussaint". Glover has also appeared on Chavez's television and radio show, "Alo Presidente!"</span></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiARzkrXOtO_oMlS-c12ERAnPpEkWGUSxDOuMnyA-KSZ-bEPGiTdRzHfu3NfyFA0h5S6BY947VrPtH_CYNbMdH_kSEZIjWSP7u3MetPw18shFGueCTE36t4HZg23uDm22AqmPCNIsJ9_arb/s1600/i-c5d9306bb4f9c1707d2ffbb0a44cc569-chavezspacey.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="263" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiARzkrXOtO_oMlS-c12ERAnPpEkWGUSxDOuMnyA-KSZ-bEPGiTdRzHfu3NfyFA0h5S6BY947VrPtH_CYNbMdH_kSEZIjWSP7u3MetPw18shFGueCTE36t4HZg23uDm22AqmPCNIsJ9_arb/s400/i-c5d9306bb4f9c1707d2ffbb0a44cc569-chavezspacey.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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Kevin Spacey</div>
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<span style="background-color: white; font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; line-height: 18px; text-align: left;">Spacey went to Venezuelan in September 2007 for a three-hour meeting with Hugo Chavez. In addition to the private meeting, Spacey toured a Venezuelan film studio, just at the time that Chavez was touting the Venezuelan film industry as an alternative to Hollywood filmmaking. </span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjY2P1DbN4HxtpuF1-6a-V_s4PpeRusQwS5vN36XBNpO-bNjxmGpDahHS6ABp4OSMPLrKNqyNY8NBjlHRxrCeDEYS-M7RwJW_yrpT1NZcgqxvsugqgOHptsz1s3D7PoeAuvoZaupxTM3fIH/s1600/i-cbf57448ca333553fb9c473d87bbdb08-hugonaomi.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="270" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjY2P1DbN4HxtpuF1-6a-V_s4PpeRusQwS5vN36XBNpO-bNjxmGpDahHS6ABp4OSMPLrKNqyNY8NBjlHRxrCeDEYS-M7RwJW_yrpT1NZcgqxvsugqgOHptsz1s3D7PoeAuvoZaupxTM3fIH/s400/i-cbf57448ca333553fb9c473d87bbdb08-hugonaomi.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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Naomi Campbell</div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">Campbell <span style="background-color: white; line-height: 18px;">came away from her November 2007 meeting with Hugo Chavez calling him a "rebel angel." Campbell interviewed Chavez as a contributing editor for British GQ magazine. She asked Chavez if he would ever pose shirtless like judo master and Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin, and Chavez said, "Why not? Touch my muscles!" They bonded over their hatred of then President Bush "I found him [Chavez] to be fearless, but not threatening or unreasonable," she wrote. "I hope Venezuela's relations with America will improve in the immediate future." </span></span></div>
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Courtney Love</div>
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<span style="background-color: white; font-style: inherit; line-height: 18px; text-align: left; text-decoration: inherit;"><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">When Hugo Chavez went to address the United Nations General Assembly in September 2009, he attended an exhibition of Oliver Stone's film "South of the Border." It was here that he met up with Hole singer Courtney Love, who was easily charmed by the leader. Love later said that Chavez was checking her out after the film Q&A. "It was the third wink that sold me," Love said. "He's a sexy dawg. He invited me to visit his country and I'd like to go. I'll rock Caracas!" </span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">“If I were American, I’d vote for Obama.”- Hugo Chavez</span></span><span style="border: 0px; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 10px; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; text-align: left; vertical-align: baseline;"><br /><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: small;">Fair weather friends to be sure, but were he American, Chavez wouldn't have gotten behind America's comeback team. Shocker.</span></span></div>
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<span style="border: 0px; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; text-align: left; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">On an international policy stand point, this is great, regardless of what Hollywood and communist sympathizers would have you believe. will this lead to peace or just more turmoil in the nation? Stay tuned...</span></span></div>
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Hailey Dunnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10209251782564923582noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5032006370188860862.post-1201272631765023282013-01-21T19:39:00.002-08:002013-01-21T19:39:34.361-08:00It's 9:39pm and Obama Still Sucks<center>
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Today was the most depressing day of the year. Allegedly it had nothing to do with Obama being sworn in for a second term, but I'm not 100% on that. Rather than watch liberal-fest in Washington, I partook in some other more worthwhile endeavors:<br />
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7am: I awoke to a kidney kick from my Yorkie, let her out of my room for someone else to deal with and went back to sleep<br />
9am: My mother called me (On my phone... I'm serious) from downstairs to wake me up<br />
12pm: I saw "Mama"- It had its good moments, but I wasn't all that jazzed about the special effects.<br />
2pm: I played with my dog for an hour<br />
3pm: I took a three hour nap<br />
6pm: I ate dinner<br />
6:30-now: I watched trashy TV<br />
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Do you see the picture I am painting for you? I had to be extra slovenly to avoid what was all over TV all day. Really put me out.<br />
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This photo is of the 2009 Inauguration Day crowds in which it is estimate 1.8 million people attended. Gag me with a spoon much? I haven't been able to find anything from this same angle from today, but about 800,000 fewer people are thought to have attended this go-around. That's a substantial number. Could the higher turn out last time be attributed to the novelty of electing the first African American president in 2008? Waning popularity in 2013? Economic factors impacting the ease of travel for many in 2013? Were people, like Miss America, wary of the cold? Could people just be seeing through his BS finally? Who knows. </div>
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What I do know is that the only former presidents in attendance were former President Carter and Hillary Clinton's husband who used to be president, Bill Clinton. George HW Bush's recent illness prevented his attendance and is thought to have been his son's reason for not attending, although no official reason was given. Also, contrary to convention, Mitt Romney failed to show citing work conflicts. Unlike Obama, Mitt Romney works for what he has so I'd consider that a valid excuse. Oprah also wasn't there due to a conflict with a speaking engagement. Maybe the rumors of MO being jealous of the Queen of Talk's relationship with BO are true? Who cares. </div>
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This was kind of funny though because you can tell her mom is like "Stahp it!" Kid's got moves. </div>
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1,460 days until Inauguration Day 2017...</div>
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<br />Hailey Dunnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10209251782564923582noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5032006370188860862.post-54244615495868003372013-01-15T06:36:00.002-08:002013-01-15T14:39:05.389-08:00My Hiatus Comes To A Close, The Obama Campaign's Ungratefulness Does Not<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">Wahhh wahhhhhh</span></div>
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My epic hiatus is finally (almost) over. Between finals back in December, recruitment now and catching up on sleep all break, it's been a hectic couple of months. However, once school resumes I plan to be back to normal.
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Some things that between then and now that have annoyed me:<br />
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<li>Hillary Clinton's various maladies holding off her testifying on the Benghazi scandal until January 23rd</li>
<li>So much talk of gun bans, revoking the second amendment and the exploitation of the Sandy Hook tragedy by anti-gun activists to further their agenda</li>
<li>Taxes being raised on 77% of Americans- but I mean hahahah to the Obama supporters who wanted the "rich" taxed into poverty and taxes reduced for everyone else probably got jacked on your last paycheck too. HOPE! CHANGE! FORWARD!</li>
<li>The fiscal cliff debacle was obnoxious</li>
<li>Like seventy-five million other things- this is going to be a <u><b>LONG</b></u> next four years...</li>
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Just a mini post for today coming from the liberal-biased, yet amusing, Buzzfeed, which is reporting that former staffers for the Obama campaign are none to pleased with their former boss.<br />
Despite my indignation at their cause, I know these people worked harder leading up to the election than a stripper the day before rent was due. Because of this, it is natural to assume that they would be compensated for getting this know-nothing into office, correct? Wrong. This was basically the message coming from the presidential inaugural committee and the Obama campaign in general to them.<br />
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For one thing, they did not let them know details necessary for making travel plans to attend the inauguration of the candidate they helped get into office until last week, when travel costs would have been significantly higher than had they been made in November when it was evident there would be yet another Obama inauguration. Additionally, only a very limited number of staffers were able to get their hands on tickets for the 35,000 person inaugural ball being held and are being charged $10 a piece to attend the official staff inaugural ball, leaving some of them worried about how skimpy it may be if $10 per person covers costs. More salt in the wound? Romney staffers were paid better, had their last pay check several weeks after the election (as opposed to Obama staffers who were cut off the Friday following the election) and Obama staffers saw their health insurance cut-off in November. This is in addition to them having taken pay cuts of up to $30,000 to work on the campaign. As of now, a significant number of them remain unemployed.<br />
In response to these allegations, DNC communications director Brad Woodhouse tweeted the following:<br />
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Pretty uncool, right? Stay classy, Obama.
Hailey Dunnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10209251782564923582noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5032006370188860862.post-60737277225521475462012-11-14T20:35:00.000-08:002012-11-14T20:45:40.231-08:00¡Viva la secesión!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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For as long as I can remember, Texas secession has always been a joke of sorts thrown about when Texans got tired of Washington. Growing up I remember seeing what was mostly pick up trucks with bumper stickers reading 'SECEDE'. Of course you could chalk that up to me having lived in Rockwall, the last bit of civilization east of Dallas and a decidedly I <3 Texas locale. However, Texans in general seem to all have the same idea: We don't need Washington.<br />
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Lately, Washington has been for lack of a better phrase, a <a href="http://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=clusterfuck" target="_blank">CF</a>. I'm not going to sit here and pretend that it was all Obama's fault because admittedly it wasn't, but he hasn't helped matters. Additionally, he has at nearly every chance he has gotten been a belittling bully to conservatives, a great many of which make up the Texas electorate. In light of his recent reelection, people from all 50 states have signed petitions asking to be granted peaceful secession from the Union. This is all completely ridiculous. Colorado seceding? It's landlocked by the US of A and technically, but not really, has legalized weed. Just toke it up and chill out. You're not going anywhere. Rhode Island is going to secede? Really?<br />
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Texas on the other hand has a shot in hell at making it if it were to secede. For one thing, Texas has done it before. Granted it was 166 years ago and only lasted on its own for just under ten years, but what has South Dakota Fanning ever done that awesome? Nothing, and it never will. Texas again tried to pull off the whole riding solo thing (kinda) when it split from the Union to join the Confederacy. A month after Robert E Lee had surrendered at Appomattox, Texas was still fighting and not losing ground to the Northern Aggressors because they were a bunch of BAMFs.<br />
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Texas currently possesses 1/4 of the nation's oil reserves, 1/3 of the natural gas reserves and 95% of the country gets oil and gas from pipelines originating in Texas. Despite the recession, Texas has added one million new jobs, has more Fortune 500 companies than any other state and were Texas a country, it would have the 13th highest GDP in the world. Impressive, right? Texas has the Texas Guard, the Texas National Guard, the Air Guard and the Texas Rangers.
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But legally can Texas secede? No. According to the 1845 Texas Annexation Agreement, Texas can if it chooses split itself up into 5 states, but who would want that? In the 1869 case of Texas v White, the Supreme Court decision held that no state had the right to secede from the Union. So... there goes that theory.<br />
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The basis of this is that if the petition were to get >25,000 signatures in the allotted time, the President's administration would be forced to adress it. Since it has, now Obama has to deal with that and Petraeus and Clinton leaving and Libya and the fiscal cliff and Sandy relief, etc... Almost feel sorry for him... Syke. All this did was put front and center to this administration that they may be in for a second term, but a lot of people are not happy about it. You can only bully, ignore and degrade a significant portion of the population for so long before they get completely fed up, and now we are. Most people are not legitimately looking to secede. Governor Perry even lambasted the petitions aims, but you know even he got tickled at the idea of being the President of the Republic of Texas. I mean look at this guy, total bad A.<br />
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And finally, to all of those saying that anyone who signed these petitions should have their citizenship stripped, I am unfortunately Facebook friends with a fair number of you and I am well aware that you are the same people who tout like a badge of honor your I <3 illegal immigrants beliefs. I love a good slice of irony, don't you? It's a joke. This entire thing is a joke. Texas isn't going anywhere, and I don't want it to. </center>
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** Currently, the petition for texas to secede has about 106,000 signatures and still has until December 9th to be signed by more people.</center>
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Hailey Dunnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10209251782564923582noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5032006370188860862.post-30087767460134171982012-11-13T10:08:00.001-08:002012-11-13T10:08:06.636-08:005 Signs the Stock Market Will collapse in 2013If you haven't seen this, it's worth a look.<br />
Pretty scary...<br />
http://w3.newsmax.com/a/aftershockb/video47.cfm?promo_code=109C0-1Hailey Dunnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10209251782564923582noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5032006370188860862.post-13065056395778058382012-11-08T09:42:00.001-08:002012-11-08T09:47:12.017-08:00LOL<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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My response to Tuesday night...</div>
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After Obama won reelection, (Vomit, I don't want to discuss it. However I did in my daily campus article if you care to read it. I pretended to be a lot more positive about him winning than I really am. We're screwed.) the United states moved to back a UN arms treaty that would allow for tighter restrictions on arms trade worldwide. Basically, there was a draft of an international treaty that would regulate the $70 billion world wide arms trade. The expectation was that the matter would be resolved before the election, but it was delayed due to Sandy. Once the Obama's knew their spot in government housing was safe for another four years, Obama through his weight behind the treaty. United States support for this treaty initially fell apart in July when the United states claimed, along with Russia, that they had issues with it and wanted more time. Definitely had nothing to do with Obama's campaign...<br />
What the US support did was call for a new round of talks, March 18-28 so while it is not officially in effect yet, this is a step in the direction of making this treaty a reality. This treaty seeks to rectify the rampant illicit trading and proliferation of illegal arms while protecting the sovereign rights of states to trade arms. The Obama administration stressed this treaty would not effect Americans' right to bear arms in anyway.<br />
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This wouldn't even be an issue had the Untied States, who is responsible for 40% of the world's arms trade, not done a complete 180 on its stance on the matter in 2009 following Obama coming to office. countries that did not participate in the vote included Russia, Saudi arabia, Syria, Sudan, Belarus, Cuba and Iran. While china would be expected to not support the treaty, in a shocking turn of events China chose to back it. </div>
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Why does this make me LOL? Because as previously stated, the United States is responsible for "40%" of arms trade in the world. Why the quotes? That number is comprised of the <b>legal</b> arms trade the Untied States engages in. Even with that number alone, Barack Obama is currently the top arms dealer in the entire world as the President of the United States. However, the United States is also a huge contributor to te illicit arms trade.</div>
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There are certain countries the United States canot be seen providing arms to but who it is advantageous to deal to. A prime example of this would be a variety of countries in Africa to be sure, but the United States involvement with the Soviet Cold War in Afghanistan is perhaps the most well known. During the Cold War, the Soviet Union invaded Afghanistan terrorizing the people and causing an obscene number to flee their homes lest they be killed. The United States took a good long while to get involved as they had their own problems with the Soviets. Once the scope of the human rights violations was made aware to Congressman Charlie Wilson, he made sure that the United States intervened, but on a clandestine basis. Were the United States to be seen as contributing to the Afghans, it is all too likely that the Cold War would have been quickly thawed by a nuclear bomb. Because of this, the United States was tasked with convincing Israeli arms dealers to arm those fighting against the Soviets. The issue? Those fighting against the Soviets were partly Afghanis, partly Palestinian as the Mujahideen (Soviet fighters) were located in Palestine. Anyone who knows anything about the Middle East knows how popular fo an idea this was. Long story short, the United States bankrolled this, the Israelis gave arms to Mujahideen, they fought back against the Soviets and eventually the Soviets retreated. This would be an example of arms trade not counted in that 40%. (In one fiscal year the United States spent $300 million on this covert operation.)<br />
Also on a side note, the top arms traders in the world are the United States, Britain, Russia, France and China. They are also the only permanent members of the UN Security Council.<br />
I understand that there is a great deal of violence in the world that could be absolved in the absence of weapons, but there is no way to not have weapons. Making them illegal or restricting the trade on any scope is only applicable to those who follow the law. African warlords won't feel obligated to adhere to this treaty, they'll find the guns from somewhere with or without it and the United States will I am sure play a significant role in them getting their hands on them. Additionally, the UN has really no legitimate way of enforcing its rules unless a member country or countries takes it upon themselves to enforce it. This treaty is yet another step in a long line of Obama's disarmament goals, but in the end all it is is a feel like a good person while actually doing nothing measure. LOL.</div>
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Hailey Dunnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10209251782564923582noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5032006370188860862.post-1541397794920863742012-11-06T08:29:00.000-08:002012-11-06T09:58:54.304-08:00Election Day<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Today is the day we have all been waiting for: Election day. Today America has the opportunity to send the Obama's on a walk of shame in January. Today America has to opportunity to elect the 45th president of these United States. I have a test this evening, classes to sign up for for next semester in less than an hour and am so anxious I cannot begin to stand it, so I will make this short:<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgi1sIuNP4Tn6gs1XUpighhEWpqEI5D7SRWKZn8iK7Kgy-mtA2-MZOZWXXeWtdIY2IgaOdUBaIJmsjHbUS83W_hleZP2zSAc6tOJgo4MsjQzWfJuvflhK31PngtzM9_QNE_5omyHL1mRZV8/s1600/311180_4842118416849_546681384_n.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="276" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgi1sIuNP4Tn6gs1XUpighhEWpqEI5D7SRWKZn8iK7Kgy-mtA2-MZOZWXXeWtdIY2IgaOdUBaIJmsjHbUS83W_hleZP2zSAc6tOJgo4MsjQzWfJuvflhK31PngtzM9_QNE_5omyHL1mRZV8/s400/311180_4842118416849_546681384_n.jpeg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span style="color: red; font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: x-large;">Vote for Mitt!!!</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjoGROisAjLAihZ5qyML7T4YNpa2eP-dBUCgvbvlerdMRd5RwG_q5IJPnEpBfupBnRMoLid6jZv6RQBGwjsGtg6A-q17bjqhfFHGpa2iR9NJFKjOZjwN1zkZPxvHjSCMnK5rUcgfiiWDgmZ/s1600/judge-issuing-order-to-reinstate-booted-philadelphia-election-officials.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="211" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjoGROisAjLAihZ5qyML7T4YNpa2eP-dBUCgvbvlerdMRd5RwG_q5IJPnEpBfupBnRMoLid6jZv6RQBGwjsGtg6A-q17bjqhfFHGpa2iR9NJFKjOZjwN1zkZPxvHjSCMnK5rUcgfiiWDgmZ/s400/judge-issuing-order-to-reinstate-booted-philadelphia-election-officials.jpeg" width="400" /></a></div>
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On another note, just as in 2008, members of the New Black Panthers have been spotted outside of a Philadelphia polling location today. Last go around, there were two of them and one of them was carrying a club. This time, there is only one Black Panther and he doesn't have a club. Huge progress. Their goal is to intimidate voters in a swing state (Pennsylvania). As they have no direct involvement in the political machine, I find it completely inappropriate for them to be there at all. I would LOVE to walk by this idiot dressed as I am today and rub in his face that I most certainly did NOT vote for Obama. A Black Panther hitting a white girl just won't happen. Can you imagine the fall out from that? These thugs are there for intimidation purposes and have no legitimate power or place in the voting process.<br />
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<b>Update:</b><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgX7liTcJaVZt8MRBKD4CQgWYH4XK-ZnVQNCHEWtQ4JnAz003gpBHm1FdvIbvfOS_B_D6X6NbCC-txhShzNx43lLK4QqZX3FHcjdYv1kqqQTResYdabBx-sI0Wg4GPl6Qrl7EMGp2SLd9rV/s1600/mural.tiff" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgX7liTcJaVZt8MRBKD4CQgWYH4XK-ZnVQNCHEWtQ4JnAz003gpBHm1FdvIbvfOS_B_D6X6NbCC-txhShzNx43lLK4QqZX3FHcjdYv1kqqQTResYdabBx-sI0Wg4GPl6Qrl7EMGp2SLd9rV/s400/mural.tiff" width="400" /></a></div>
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This lovely painting greets voters at a Philadelphia voting location. In general, during an election a candidate or a candidate's representatives are not permitted to be within 100 feet of a polling location. Many states do not permit voters to wear political pins into the location and many also forbid the wearing of politically charged shirts while voting. This horrific mural cannot be kosher. If that is not a persuasion tactic then I don't know what is. </div>
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I went to public school (sad I know) and when we took that God awful TAKS test the teachers had to dismantle the room of everything that could potentially help/ influence us on the test. Anything that couldn't be taken down was covered up. If this school is not willing to paint over this, the least they should do is cover it up. My question however is whether or not this is a school that pushes liberalism on the children who attend. True it is Philadelphia, and most of the children probably come form democrat backgrounds, but if there si not a paining of the previous 43 presidents and they do not plan to put up a shrine to Romney should he win, I find this inappropriate. Elementary school children should not have anyone's doctrine shoved down their throats. Period. </div>
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<br />Hailey Dunnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10209251782564923582noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5032006370188860862.post-40410233274965116672012-11-02T14:07:00.003-07:002012-11-02T14:07:54.748-07:004 More Days<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-A17XcvS3xxVVZIIQw15E7q-F4_g_DfcssiEG7wBSUeZlRXW36sNaXJ2Hqy5LBKWWWfOcAV5uqOpeDZ3RzWwO0WRYKAL_icwlFu5khuTy9T6OUAvU_3QKEIFvycG6MwKXRn4b07CYgrZ2/s1600/177205_4850053935065_412172333_o.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="218" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-A17XcvS3xxVVZIIQw15E7q-F4_g_DfcssiEG7wBSUeZlRXW36sNaXJ2Hqy5LBKWWWfOcAV5uqOpeDZ3RzWwO0WRYKAL_icwlFu5khuTy9T6OUAvU_3QKEIFvycG6MwKXRn4b07CYgrZ2/s320/177205_4850053935065_412172333_o.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div>
It's been a good while since my last post. Between midterms and the impending election, there has never been a dull moment in my life! The following are some political related happenings in my life in the last few weeks:<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPum8IF-UWmiSEDCw-C6qYxg_Az4VViQZ-zMIVX0VPEEuFMRhamj4V5kIwYb8Lw84micjIT5D1yLGvWURjP12yhyphenhyphen5gkJ8YcVJfS_VQbSlWEphYsNU3cnaBPMxKvHf2p2hYgLzJv82p7DhZ/s1600/183888_4814139557228_1767419113_n.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPum8IF-UWmiSEDCw-C6qYxg_Az4VViQZ-zMIVX0VPEEuFMRhamj4V5kIwYb8Lw84micjIT5D1yLGvWURjP12yhyphenhyphen5gkJ8YcVJfS_VQbSlWEphYsNU3cnaBPMxKvHf2p2hYgLzJv82p7DhZ/s320/183888_4814139557228_1767419113_n.jpeg" width="213" /></a></div>
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I tweet</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLcihlSohtwHoF8t8mGkMzOOUwvXFz6DwOB19Pd7Gbs3LPpzuqKhpAP6sNmrJ0jV3QxFLCQGM2VCDK62zYMrlxW9UdPObeXDl7IBqnNzr2W3kkPppdO7LQJct2NYDi_vNkHHUcdRq7XUE1/s1600/228168_4632400573867_2053709726_n.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLcihlSohtwHoF8t8mGkMzOOUwvXFz6DwOB19Pd7Gbs3LPpzuqKhpAP6sNmrJ0jV3QxFLCQGM2VCDK62zYMrlxW9UdPObeXDl7IBqnNzr2W3kkPppdO7LQJct2NYDi_vNkHHUcdRq7XUE1/s320/228168_4632400573867_2053709726_n.jpeg" width="285" /></a></div>
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Pre Boulevard cup representing!</div>
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At the Mitt Romney fundraiser at the Frontiers of Flight Museum with Congressman Pete Sessions and two members from the SMU College Republicans</div>
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"Mitt Romney" at Halloween block party on Oak Lawn</div>
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Josh Romney!!!!</div>
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Romney/ Ryan tent at the SMU Boulevard</div>
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Target practice at the ranch</div>
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Glenn Beck at the Mitt Romney fundraiser</div>
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"Mitt Romney", his binder full of women and "Paul Ryan"</div>
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Snapshots from the old ranch house</div>
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Congressman Pete Sessions</div>
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Now, down to business. We are a mere four days from the election that will decide the course of this country from here on out. If you have not early voted by now, please be sure to vote on Tuesday. As I said, this election is of monumental importance and the outcome will have serious ramifications on the future of this country. Obviously there is no way to exactly predict who will win, and with the polls all so out of whack with one another it's hard to know who is doing what, but political savante <a href="http://rove.com/election" target="_blank">Karl Rove</a> has been doing his own tracking and the <a href="http://www.rasmussenreports.com/public_content/politics/obama_administration/daily_presidential_tracking_poll" target="_blank">Rasmussen Report</a> is highly reputable for those looking to for early signs of a winner. These two currently are showing a pretty much neck and neck race with no clear cut winner, which is quite annoying to a lot of voters, me included. By several accounts, analysts are predicting Romney will take North Carolina and that Obama is looking shaky in Michigan. Also, during my phone banking for Romney last night, I got to call voters in Ohio and was pleased when of the over 60 calls I made, not one said they supported Obama. </div>
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But remember if all of this political and election talk has you down: </div>
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Hailey Dunnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10209251782564923582noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5032006370188860862.post-3560635926273308882012-10-17T08:28:00.002-07:002012-10-17T08:43:14.492-07:00These Debates Are Turning Into a Joke<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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I love my friends:)</div>
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<iframe allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen" frameborder="0" height="315" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/RB45wu_Va2A" width="560"></iframe>Notice Michelle Obama clapping as the moderator interrupts Romney in her husband's defense despite the fact that the moderator is supposed to be unbiased and you are not supposed to make any congratulatory or detracting sounds during the debates? Classyyyyyyy.</div>
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While finding someone with absolutely no political bias is tricky if not impossible, it is obvious that the Commission on Presidential Debates was barely even trying to find someone who fit that criteria. "To hell with looking for a media figure lacking a blatant liberal bias", I imagine they said.<br />
Jim Lehrer (PBS): Liberal<br />
Martha Raddatz (ABC): Liberal (Obama was a guest at her 1991 wedding and the groom, now ex husband and former classmate of Obama, is the chairman of the FCC)<br />
Candy Crowley (CNN): Liberal<br />
Bob Schieffer (CBS): Liberal<br />
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Jim Lehrer was ineffectual and as a consequence was verbally run over by the two much more vigorous candidates. Martha Raddatz allowed the round table format debate to turn into something like The View with Biden playing the role of Joy Behar and Ryan the Elizabeth Hasselbeck. Raddatz was for all intents and purposes Barbara Walters. This is an oversimplification of course, but it denotes the bitch-fest Raddatz allowed the debate to devolve to.<br />
Then there was Candy Crowley. Honestly going into this I had barely heard of this woman, but knowing she came from CNN, my hopes weren't high for her moderation.<br />
Even with the little hope I had instilled in this woman, she failed miserably. It is not the responsibility or the right of the moderator to interject her opinion on a matter or to correct a debater for facts that she deems to be incorrect, but interject she did. Everyone was waiting for this debate to see how the candidates would debate on the matter of Libya but once it was brought up, she couldn't help but to get involved. Romney pointed out that it had taken 14 days for this administration to acknowledge to September 11th attack in Benghazi as an act of terror with nothing to do with an inflammatory video. She inappropriately countered with the assertion that he called it 'an act of terror'. In the post debate she admitted that Romney's main point was correct but she thought in the way he went about saying it he made it wrong. Um none of your beeswax lady. You're the <u>moderator</u>. If his point was not factual, which it was, it was Obama's job to expose that.<br />
However these candidates answered in regards to questions on Libya, foreign policy and national security was sure to make waves, but Following one week of ineffective moderation and one week of biased moderation, it would have been prudent for the CPD to at least try to make sure their latest moderator was a touch less obvious in her bias. Here's hoping Bob Scheffer is able to be a little more subtle next week.
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Also, as some of you may have noticed, I no longer accept comments. This is mainly due to people like this being the main commenters:<br />
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Hailey Dunnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10209251782564923582noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5032006370188860862.post-30442586158063222412012-10-15T19:42:00.001-07:002012-10-15T19:54:47.680-07:00Hollywood's Obsession with Objectifying WomenThe idea of objectifying women generally is in regards to the exploitation of their bodies for sexual purposes, but I would venture to say the liberal left could be charged as being equally guilty of objectification. They are using women and their bodies as a divisive political issue and as a means to attack the Republican party with oversimplifications, scare tactics and out right lies. Currently, 46% of women consider the economy to be their most important issue going into this election. Less than half of that number, 20%, consider healthcare to be the most important. While both issues are of great importance, the former is a concept that most in Hollywood are not capable of fully grasping. However, Hollywood women do apparently care a great deal about women's rights as we have all heard ad nauseam. Today this jewel of an advertisement for the Obama campaign was released:<br />
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First of all, having Eva Longoria as a California Co-chair for you reelection campaign makes about as much sense as having Sylvia Plath be your life coach.<br />
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Second, let's break down why these women would be better served statutory raping teenage gardeners on prime time soaps and being felt up by Isaac Mizrahi.<br />
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<b>Mitt Romney is for ending money to Planned Parenthood</b>:Scare tactic. Mitt Romney has said that if elected president, he would cut funding to Planned Parenthood. This is true, but in February the House had already voted to cut federal funding to PP (240-185) with 7 Republicans voting against it and 10 democrats voting for cutting funding. Planned Parenthood is prohibited from using federal funding on abortion services, so the cut would effect family planning and birth control services. The big rub most people find is that this would effect many women's ability to receive preventative cancer screenings. The following chart from Planned Parenthood shows that 70% of their business covers the treatment of/ testing for STD's and contraception. Only 1/6 of the entire business covered by PP is cancer screenings. Federal funding does make up 1/3 of its total revenue but a company that also receives state and local funding, private donations and is partnered with organizations such as Susan G Komen in addition to requiring payment (at reduced cost) for services should, if managed responsibly, be able to more than cover breast cancer screenings. (Susan G Komen donates an average of $680,000 a year to the organization but when they cut funding to them, PP received $400,000 from donors in two days and then Komen decided to once again donate to them.) As far as the abortions are concerned, true it only comprises 3% of their total business, but in that 3% were 329,445 abortions. I do not view abortion as in general an issue of women's health. There are cases, select cases in which abortion needs to be an option, but being irresponsible is not one of them. Suck it up and be a grown up. If you are mature enough to have sex you're mature enough to deal with the consequences. Side note: Next person who says to me "I'm pro-choice not pro-abortion" gets hit. No one is saying you are chasing pregnant women around with coat hangers...<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZjp9xvReqp1WQx0sEO7tahiMi3VCVwXTyd5Le8B0ZPneEkmVZIAxGdCiMbJ9GnEfNAXVg-vJ6N27sJ4n2C98k5yYCiV6kCmwz-7rmU47BJpW2oAiPn93tBBiZNtoR3kchKpXHj9fEVECP/s1600/PP+chart.tiff" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="270" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZjp9xvReqp1WQx0sEO7tahiMi3VCVwXTyd5Le8B0ZPneEkmVZIAxGdCiMbJ9GnEfNAXVg-vJ6N27sJ4n2C98k5yYCiV6kCmwz-7rmU47BJpW2oAiPn93tBBiZNtoR3kchKpXHj9fEVECP/s400/PP+chart.tiff" width="400" /></a></div>
And just because the whole abortion issue really gets to me, in Texas you can get an abortion up to 15 weeks. This is what a baby looks like at 15 weeks:<br />
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Yeahhhh definitely not a baby or anything! I absolutely loathe Planned Parenthood.</div>
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<b>He said he'd overturn Roe v Wade: </b>Incorrect. According to his campaign website, Mitt Romney's official position is that "He will protect the right of healthcare workers to follow their conscience in their work." In other words, if you are a private doctor who would like to perform abortions, he would not work to stop your doing that. Abortions under Romney would still be provided by doctors in practices which do not receive federal funding. The price at these locations would be up to the doctor. With an issue as divisive as abortion does it not make sense to not force people through taxes to fund an institution in anyway that performs abortions, even if that money does not directly fund abortions? This assertion is incorrect and a scare tactic.</div>
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<b>Republicans are trying to redefine rape</b>: Oversimplification. This is obviously in reference to Missouri Senate candidate Todd Akin saying that according to some doctors he's spoken with, legitimate rape causes a woman's body to shut down and prevent her form getting pregnant. This statement has been condemned by people on the left and right alike. Mitt Romney called the comment 'inexcusable' and suggested that Akin 'exit the race'. You cannot generalize an entire party by the thoughtless comments of one wayward member. If that were the case, Biden would have long ago completely screwed the democrats. </div>
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<b>Forcing women to undergo invasive ultrasounds</b>: Scare tactic and oversimplification.This is in reference to laws in many states, including Texas, which require a doctor prior to performing an abortion to perform an ultrasound on the woman, show her the fetus and describe its size and any visible limbs and organs. Abortions rights activists have likened the placing the probe inside of the woman (the same probe used for ultra sounds for pregnancies in general and as a means to diagnose a number of medical issues) to rape. Obnoxious much? The goal in this is to show the woman what is inside of her so she can make an informed decision about the life she is ending and not in the future realize the traumatic consequences of an uninformed decision. It's not a mole you are getting rid of, it is a life and anyway to make the mother more aware of this, lest they come to regret it down the road, should not be considered bad. </div>
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They end this by urging you to vote for Barack Obama as OBVIOUSLY he knows/cares more about the vajay than Mitt Romney. Whatever. Apparently women are not buying this as being the leading issue in this election because as was stated above, women consider the economy to be their top issue this election. In fact in swing states Romney is currently getting a huge boost from women. As in virtually every other area, the Republican party, in regards to women's health, is in favor of personal responsibility. Want an abortion? Pay for it. See the life inside of you and be resolute in your desire to end it. As for the cancer screening, to say that federally defunding planned parenthood would keep women from receiving cancer screenings ignores the massive amounts of money PP already receives from other sources, including the patients themselves for a variety of services. </div>
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The dems can say and do whatever they want, today the Gallup poll showed Romney pulling ahead by 5 points. What whatttt!:)</div>
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Despite my views, the following is HILARIOUS and SO true:</div>
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<iframe frameborder="0" height="315" src="http://www.nbc.com/assets/video/widget/widget.html?vid=1420802" width="560"></iframe>Hailey Dunnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10209251782564923582noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5032006370188860862.post-61818962300391281322012-10-08T08:08:00.000-07:002012-10-08T08:09:11.479-07:00Big Week of Missteps for the Obama Campaign<div>
<b>Number Five:</b><br />
<b>Las Vegas Review Journal Endorses Mitt Romney</b><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhukAVa7ZDSpSofsF4yswcsKBK20l79PbVxu9FtCnfnrqJ6af3QUCLS-smeuKpG2jsaQzDHkEnnsyPEgJL1Y0yMP4dyhWULbBpILG3sL7fLBqVPBQslPdtqQH-F8RdTHfeLPLXsvI6vZFfD/s1600/527785_10151062033705841_479937712_n.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhukAVa7ZDSpSofsF4yswcsKBK20l79PbVxu9FtCnfnrqJ6af3QUCLS-smeuKpG2jsaQzDHkEnnsyPEgJL1Y0yMP4dyhWULbBpILG3sL7fLBqVPBQslPdtqQH-F8RdTHfeLPLXsvI6vZFfD/s400/527785_10151062033705841_479937712_n.jpeg" width="400" /></a></div>
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While not technically the fault of the Obama campaign per se, it does speak volumes that any publication coming from Las Vegas would prefer a conservative candidate. I mean seriously, it is "Sin City". Prostitution is legal there, gambling a plenty, booze flowing like the Hoover Dam just burst. Why would a city such as Las Vegas endorse a Mormon who is probably aghast at a lot of what goes on there? That is it right there. He is Mormon. Thanks to stringent laws in Utah which prosecute for polygamy, many Mormons have moved to neighboring Nevada, namely Las Vegas. This is because Nevada is less inclined to prosecute them for their lifestyle choices than Utah because let's face it, LV has way bigger problems to worry about. Next to a kid with a cracked out stripper mother, a kid with 7 moms in prairie skirts is doing pretty good. As Nevada is a swing state that went blue in the last election, Obama should be worried about losing it (Florida ain't looking too good either...)<br />
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<b>Number Four: </b><br />
<b>Obama campaign accused of threatening NAACP official</b><br />
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Whether of not this is true remains to be seen, but the leader of the South Suburban branch of Chicago's NAACP David Lowery has filed a police report against the campaign for allegedly receiving threats. Lowery has stated publicly that he does not support the president as he does not believe he has done what he promised for the black community. He says in a recent phone conversation a campaign official told him, "You know what? I know everything about you. We've been watching you, and since you don't support Obama, we'll deal with you." The campaign responded by saying there was a miscommunication between the official and Lowery.<br />
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<b>Number Three:</b><br />
<b>Obama campaign found to be soliciting illegal contributions</b><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcRT6Eju3smhjCRlG9ksMfWSnJHJYuAcnXJVy4wZc50Oi3JJfDE9HsiUxSytDhCVGgdXiM9AFNwuK6V4aMBafzG2S3gyGBJLND5MVxSu9Cb6uuAt-_s-jFUx2SVXUUXks-fnVrfNInH5ye/s1600/527676_10151058642755841_1688639143_n.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcRT6Eju3smhjCRlG9ksMfWSnJHJYuAcnXJVy4wZc50Oi3JJfDE9HsiUxSytDhCVGgdXiM9AFNwuK6V4aMBafzG2S3gyGBJLND5MVxSu9Cb6uuAt-_s-jFUx2SVXUUXks-fnVrfNInH5ye/s320/527676_10151058642755841_1688639143_n.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div>
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In order to donate to an election in the United States directly or indirectly, you must be a citizen. However, the Government Accountability Institute has found that the Obama administration has been illegally soliciting foreign donors via social media outlets. 20% of visitors to the Obama campaign owned my.barackobama.com "originated form foreign locations"and at no point are donors on said website asked if they are legally allowed to contribute to an American campaign. It goes against federal law to "solicit, accept or receive" donations directly or indirectly from a foreign national so we shall see how this plays out in the coming days.<br />
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<b>Number Two:</b></div>
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<b>$5 trillion number inaccurate</b><br />
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">Taken from Snoop Dogg's Instagram</span></div>
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The Obama campaign concedes that their allegation of Romney's $5 trillion tax-cut, a point on which a large part of their campaign is based, is not true. Note this is CNN, a network that while more balanced than Fox or MSNBC, still tends to lean liberal.<br />
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<b>Number One biggest gaffe of the week:</b></div>
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<b>Obviously, the debate from hell. </b><br />
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As of today, thanks in large part to Obama's dismal debate performance on Thursday, Gallup is showing a 5 point boost for the Governor. Obama was sitting at a 50-45 lead, a gap that has since been closed leaving both candidates at 47%. Rasmussen Report similarly shows each candidate receiving 48% of the vote in polling. It is clear that the lead had by Obama pre-debate has narrowed if not having closed due to his Thursday night performance. Since then, he has been on a whirlwind delayed comebacks tour as he comes up with clever quips to put Romney in his place.Hailey Dunnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10209251782564923582noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5032006370188860862.post-32874653582666113602012-10-07T13:25:00.001-07:002012-10-07T13:25:25.224-07:00Politics Can Be FunnyIn the interest of lazy Sunday, I give you some of my favorite politically themed skits (mostly from SNL):<br />
<iframe frameborder="0" height="315" src="http://www.nbc.com/assets/video/widget/widget.html?vid=1401439" width="560"></iframe><iframe frameborder="0" height="315" id="nbc-video-widget" src="http://www.nbc.com/assets/video/widget/widget.html?vid=1417400" width="560"></iframe>
<iframe allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen" frameborder="0" height="288" mozallowfullscreen="mozallowfullscreen" scrolling="no" src="http://www.hulu.com/embed.html?eid=jvp9u9rgbk5dnithdf-fmw" webkitallowfullscreen="webkitallowfullscreen" width="512"></iframe>
<iframe frameborder="0" height="315" id="nbc-video-widget" src="http://www.nbc.com/assets/video/widget/widget.html?vid=1418895" width="560"></iframe>
<iframe frameborder="0" height="400" src="http://www.funnyordie.com/embed/4b3afc5c2f" width="640"></iframe><br />
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<a href="http://www.funnyordie.com/videos/4b3afc5c2f/president-bush-reacts-to-osama-bin-laden-s-death-with-will-ferrell" title="from Will Ferrell, Adam "Ghost Panther" McKay, Danny Jelinek, Brian Lane, Chris Kelly, Zach Zdziebko, Colton Dunn, BoTown Sound, Shauna O'Toole, Funny Or Die, BillyMerritt, Aubrey Binzer, rachelgoldenberg, and TLopezCepero">President Bush Reacts to Osama Bin Laden's Death with Will Ferrell</a> from <a href="http://www.funnyordie.com/will_ferrell">Will Ferrell</a> <iframe allowtransparency="true" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" src="http://www.facebook.com/plugins/like.php?app_id=138711277798&href=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.funnyordie.com%2Fvideos%2F4b3afc5c2f%2Fpresident-bush-reacts-to-osama-bin-laden-s-death-with-will-ferrell&send=false&layout=button_count&width=150&show_faces=false&action=like&height=21" style="border: none; height: 21px; overflow: hidden; vertical-align: middle; width: 90px;"></iframe>
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And of course, no list of politically themed skits would be complete without:
<iframe frameborder="0" height="315" id="nbc-video-widget" src="http://www.nbc.com/assets/video/widget/widget.html?vid=656281" width="560"></iframe>Hailey Dunnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10209251782564923582noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5032006370188860862.post-82949062006794783482012-10-04T09:44:00.000-07:002012-10-05T08:35:38.545-07:00Ron Paul and The Great Debate<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgm6l5TWmraAGFlonMdoaW58Gv_SFhbvIcbNvugwBR8b-i6sytroxZUCn_BJ9KltfC2pQDk_AC2FXzpy2ZPj42dLinhv-IHfgQL4rRIz3q-NxJsIYNtZPSR9hAF5TMtVrNNaOOqGefHTxoX/s1600/Obama-+Red.tiff" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgm6l5TWmraAGFlonMdoaW58Gv_SFhbvIcbNvugwBR8b-i6sytroxZUCn_BJ9KltfC2pQDk_AC2FXzpy2ZPj42dLinhv-IHfgQL4rRIz3q-NxJsIYNtZPSR9hAF5TMtVrNNaOOqGefHTxoX/s640/Obama-+Red.tiff" width="491" /></a></div>
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Anyone who watched the debate last night can agree it was a classic case of the tortoise and the hare. The main stream media and even Romney's own camp downplayed the likelihood of Romney doing well in this debate as he is not the great orator that Obama is. The arrogant Obama clearly did not see Romney as a worthy opponent and because of this came off as unprepared. He seemingly sought to play it safe as he currently has a slight edge in generally every poll. He played it so safe in fact, that he spent the entire night playing defense to Romney's relentless attacks on the last three and a half years and Obama's vision for the next four.<br />
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The anchors and analysts of MSNBC were in a state of panic as they attempted to spin a dismal performance into a positive for the party, but even Obama's greatest cheerleaders found themselves incapable of doing so. It has been widely stated that on all accounts, Romney owned Obama last night. He had the facts and figures, oratory skills, debate competency and vigor that Obama lacked. Romney alluded to his desire to do away with PBS, the home channel of the moderator right to his face. He gave himself a degree of likability in his proclaiming his love of Big Bird.<br />
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What does this mean? Currently, polling on who won the debate shows Americans predominantly thought Romney won. How the debate effected voters opinions on candidates is still unknown as there has yet to be a substantial amount of definitive post debate polling on the issue.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXFb3pvZfx7GlN-gq-2BrhIxpwHIzpL2UZL65FyJftwM1IKFFJAIVVtBoa-86yFNC6qXE6cjz0pqLe66hbBeAwgUzTVEL1cigtqNcxpKLOBcEBTIdfaNmBmG37osbQKok7hqzN5r1YUDFX/s1600/Dennis+Miller.tiff" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="120" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXFb3pvZfx7GlN-gq-2BrhIxpwHIzpL2UZL65FyJftwM1IKFFJAIVVtBoa-86yFNC6qXE6cjz0pqLe66hbBeAwgUzTVEL1cigtqNcxpKLOBcEBTIdfaNmBmG37osbQKok7hqzN5r1YUDFX/s400/Dennis+Miller.tiff" width="400" /></a></div>
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Next up, the VP debate. Let the bloodbath begin... Mwahahahahaha<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKxw_W-fk4pFAhxzCdaPGl0_pkmG02RweMnI8r35XuigxDvj-NAvdlkePARNRBaqWEJ19eAU-VXlgHAyCx4NbIzDw6yJKeIAAlbtj4XzH_MK8lFS6fzEV9XWFjzKY-mG5w3N_f-9iODl9E/s1600/643950_10151251148456145_113882427_n.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="267" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKxw_W-fk4pFAhxzCdaPGl0_pkmG02RweMnI8r35XuigxDvj-NAvdlkePARNRBaqWEJ19eAU-VXlgHAyCx4NbIzDw6yJKeIAAlbtj4XzH_MK8lFS6fzEV9XWFjzKY-mG5w3N_f-9iODl9E/s400/643950_10151251148456145_113882427_n.jpeg" width="400" /></a></div>
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Sorry for you little baby ears, but I'm not going to mince words. If you vote for Ron Paul under the guise of "wanting what's best for America", you're an idiot.<br />
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America currently has a two party system, democrats and republicans. Hate to break it to you, but this will not be the election that brings in a third party or ousts one of the two main parties. There is no end in sight for the two party system.<br />
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While as a libertarian I like Ron Paul, he does not have a shot in hell at winning. His refusal to formally step down and ask his followers to endorse Mitt Romney for the sake of getting Obama out of the White House in all honesty makes me question his character. Ron Paul forsook his customary party, the Libertarian Party, for the Republican party believing that by going with one of the two main parties he would have a better shot at a legitimate nomination. However, in the Republican primaries, Romney obtained the votes of 1,462 of the delegates, Santorum 234 votes, Gingrich 137 and Paul only 122. While the number of votes he received is not a lot less than the number Gingrich received, Romney received nearly 12 times as many votes as Paul. (These were all hard counts) Since his loss, Paul has been the only primary candidate, including those who did not make it to the official GOP primary, (Perry, Bachmann, Cain, Roemer, Huntsman) to not fully endorse Romney.<br />
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Anyone with a legitimate desire to get Obama out of the White House would have asked their followers to endorse the Republican party's official candidate once they were no longer in the running. But not Ron Paul! Ron Paul does not care about getting Obama out of the White House or the GOP reclaiming lost ground. No, Ron Paul cares about Ron Paul and about getting himself elected. Despite his aligning himself with the Republican party, he has made it clear that he does not care for party unity and has this created a small faction of americans rallying behind their fallen angel.<br />
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Lat me be clear, a vote for Ron Paul (or Gary Johnson or really any third party candidate) is a vote for Barack Obama. As of today, polling still shows Obama with a slight lead (this is due in large part to what is thus far a lack of post debate polling) and Romney cannot afford to have what would otherwise most likely be a Republican voter writing in another name.<br />
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Most of my Facebook friends touting the Ron Paul 2012 agenda reside in Texas, a state which can afford a small number of voters and their dumbass-ery as there is no way Texas will go blue. However, swing states cannot afford this. For anyone who does not fully understand, this is how the electoral college works:<br />
It is what is called an indirect election. What happens is that based on congressional voting membership (435 representatives- House, 100 senators- Senate and 3 from the District of Columbia), there are 538 'electors' who will, based on the popular vote of the state from which they are elected, will vote. (Article II Section 1 Clause 2 of the constitution details how many electors each state gets. Each elector is technically expected to look at how his or her state voted and vote the same. Forty eight states operate under the 'winner take all' system in which the winner in the state receives all electoral votes form the state. However, Maine and Nebraska have what is called the 'district system'. What the district system says is that the candidates that win the state receive two votes and all other votes cast go by district. For instance, in Obama won Maine at large, he would automatically receive two votes, however, the remaining votes could be divided if Romney won districts that Obama did not. Confused yet? Me too. As far as the 'winner take all sates', it is entirely legal for electors to not vote in accordance with the popular vote of their state which causes a great deal of frustration in the American voter. Texas for this election has gained 4 more electoral votes form the last election (34 in 2008, 38 in 2012) which is great as Texas is a definitively Red State so that there is a guaranteed 38 votes.<br />
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Now, on to why a vote for Paul or any third party candidate, is idiotic. According to the Rasmussen report, as of polling done predominantly pre-debate last night, Obama has 49% of voters, Romney 47%, 3% are undecided and 1% are for a third party candidate. As Paul's positions are generally considered conservative (excluding in terms of the war, legalization) it is safe to assume those voting for Paul would vote Republican if they had to choose between Obama or Romney. Because of this, you are losing a chink of voters form Romney, Obama is largely not losing anything by your Ron Paul vote. In fact, he is gaining an edge. Take for instance the swing ste of Florida. This is a complete fabrication and not based on any numbers, but say Obama gets 50% of the vote, Romney 49% and Paul/ 3rd party candidate receives 1%. <u>Technically</u> the expectation would be that the electors form Florida would vote Obama because that is how the popular vote went, even with such a minuscule margin. Because of those going with the third party, Romney would lose that state. (The chance of a margin this small happening are like slim to none.)<br />
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It is imperative that we oust Barack Obama from the White House and to do this, party unity is a must. It is reckless and irresponsible for Ron Paul to not advocate for party unity in the face of such a close election.<br />
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Not to be a fatalist, but a vote for Ron Paul is a vote for Obama.Hailey Dunnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10209251782564923582noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5032006370188860862.post-732426688095615982012-10-02T18:11:00.001-07:002012-10-02T18:18:36.048-07:00Legalize/ Decriminalize<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTsD-N3Mpa9_Te7w2YzdCC1_4qAfdCccDYAZXK40d8wMaGbfzKaEMElmZUgF6eUAj1DTMsqw97UmQXUnlSmgLVSmRyI1GB7fxzn0BZPR_u02EQ5FVnd7dvYWtgqMbwiWrfQotsNpOZ3iQR/s1600/Weeds_Season6-1.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTsD-N3Mpa9_Te7w2YzdCC1_4qAfdCccDYAZXK40d8wMaGbfzKaEMElmZUgF6eUAj1DTMsqw97UmQXUnlSmgLVSmRyI1GB7fxzn0BZPR_u02EQ5FVnd7dvYWtgqMbwiWrfQotsNpOZ3iQR/s400/Weeds_Season6-1.jpeg" width="400" /></a></div>
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Ohhhhhhhh my Godddddddd Hunter Parrish let's get married now and have all kinds of beautiful, blonde babies...</div>
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The other day I was talking with an old friend on a WIDE range of topics, but as he seems to be the male equivalent of me in nearly every way, the conversation eventually turned to politics. While both of us consider ourselves to be devout conservatives, he made the remark that I was "a bad republican". At first I was somewhat taken aback, but then I began realizing he was kind of right. Most of my friends would be shocked that anyone could say this about me or that I would admit it about myself. I mean seriously:<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3aBfqLTa2v51cYfIsPz058HwZqao-qs4xxvIXvtGeqnAR-xnUYoWPBsrWzkojJoz94pNA281_yU4oQUGtcLvuS2x8lmUi9tqFssUPjIf2cZwJ9y66K5DmlbBYpwvQfi4P2Zqn3lwacvpZ/s1600/216996_1960612340831_5403286_n.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="265" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3aBfqLTa2v51cYfIsPz058HwZqao-qs4xxvIXvtGeqnAR-xnUYoWPBsrWzkojJoz94pNA281_yU4oQUGtcLvuS2x8lmUi9tqFssUPjIf2cZwJ9y66K5DmlbBYpwvQfi4P2Zqn3lwacvpZ/s320/216996_1960612340831_5403286_n.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7Bjxy0wbMc6g9elTf0Y1q2xWf9afJC-BE_QxMWzuk5RfbAWhWVCa4HUL78kvfl7OcUPypiLBUnG7NugV3e1As5y4skej5GTZxiBGQpJU9VSk3sCTZpxq20VHgSzqHVo-pBawVtdbP7HV0/s1600/2582_1100929769304_3319349_n.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7Bjxy0wbMc6g9elTf0Y1q2xWf9afJC-BE_QxMWzuk5RfbAWhWVCa4HUL78kvfl7OcUPypiLBUnG7NugV3e1As5y4skej5GTZxiBGQpJU9VSk3sCTZpxq20VHgSzqHVo-pBawVtdbP7HV0/s320/2582_1100929769304_3319349_n.jpeg" width="294" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVbaH1Q6KdUrTc6Kcew8aS98MNYG0-Ee3f-7UcFDyDmBMxgtRJUpWBSSS6w3YOfV9bhHlCORE0PEi11Eg0Kw4wOCX5lSJuP6eTLSg90eOv5qj9tIKbwLZlEJ5xj3U5cRomg52Mp0WwnviL/s1600/547254_4452357832911_1728221953_n.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVbaH1Q6KdUrTc6Kcew8aS98MNYG0-Ee3f-7UcFDyDmBMxgtRJUpWBSSS6w3YOfV9bhHlCORE0PEi11Eg0Kw4wOCX5lSJuP6eTLSg90eOv5qj9tIKbwLZlEJ5xj3U5cRomg52Mp0WwnviL/s320/547254_4452357832911_1728221953_n.jpeg" width="267" /></a></div>
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That took me all of 3 seconds to find on my Facebook. I am solidly in the fold of the right, except on a couple of issues. First of all:</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2GUiL4lHCz3RjomxvzHhYagmg9eCo0lqkzd2MkQAQYN1BmsZxGRnOZmq_S_o3EwxOyEfd0qwTEf8Hq016htM4YVBK2mWwlIqEyOjKlAhP1T8XY5idTheb78nZwDmdmxyHoMsv4wI5gxEU/s1600/Cameron-Mitchell-modern-family-8304110-480-640.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2GUiL4lHCz3RjomxvzHhYagmg9eCo0lqkzd2MkQAQYN1BmsZxGRnOZmq_S_o3EwxOyEfd0qwTEf8Hq016htM4YVBK2mWwlIqEyOjKlAhP1T8XY5idTheb78nZwDmdmxyHoMsv4wI5gxEU/s320/Cameron-Mitchell-modern-family-8304110-480-640.jpeg" width="240" /></a></div>
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I <u style="font-weight: bold;">LOVE</u> the gays. Love 'em. Love each other, get married be as miserable as straight people twenty years in. I like boys, why shouldn't you?</div>
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Secondly, and perhaps more surprisingly, I am for the legalization of marijuana. I cannot personally tell you what the draw to the stuff is or why someone would want to walk around life stoned out of their mind, but it's a plant. The idea that lighting a plant on fire and inhaling it is illegal and that people are killed over it just blows my mind. LEGALIZE it. For one thing, the stoners will finally shut up, something I know we all desperately want. Secondly, tax it. There's a sin tax on alcohol, candy, gambling, cigarettes, etc... make those pot heads pay a little tax. Lifting the prohibition on marijuana would save the government approximately $7.7 billion a year in prohibition enforcement and would raise $2.4 billion a year if taxed normally or $6.2 billion if taxed as alcohol and tobacco are (much more likely). Third, other synthetic forms of marijuana are showing up in the hands of our youth and having dire consequences. Ever heard of the substance K2? Yeah it's been known to cause myocardial infarctions (heart attacks) in some cases and is now largely illegal in the United States. Would you not rather people were smoking a plant and hitting up Taco Bell than having heart attacks from using the synthetic form of a plant which according to the bible:</div>
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<tr><td>The hemp plant (scientific name: cannabis, slang: marijuana) is one of the many useful herbs "yielding seed after its kind" created and blessed by God on the third day of creation, "and God saw that it was good." (Genesis 1:12) </td></tr>
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So..... yeah. Apparently marijuana isn't THAT bad. However, I feel it is my moral obligation to remind you that regardless if and when it is legalized, "It is one thing to spark up a doobie and get laced at parties, but it is quite another to be fried all day. Do you see the distinction? "<br />
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Does my advocating for the legalization of marijuana primarily on the basis of its economic advantages make me a bad republican? No, most would say it makes me an ideal republican: seeking the economic exploitation of nature. Whatever, hippie. However, this next statement kind of does make me a bad republican:</div>
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I think we should decriminalize the possession and consumption of all drugs. </div>
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I know, Nancy Reagan would die if she heard me say this. Personally, I'm just saying no, but I'm all for your right to say yes. Blame it on my being more of a libertarian than a true conservative, but I think you have the right to succumb to social darwinism if you feel so inclined. </div>
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Basically, I believe that what has been implemented in Portugal is a much more logical response to drug possession. In the face of swelling prison populations due to drug related crimes, the Portuguese government sought to replace prison time for small amounts of narcotics with drug rehabilitation. A few years out and the results are even better than expected. The number of teens beginning to use has gone down, there are fewer new cases of HIV as people are not sharing dirty needles and more than twice as many people are seeking help for addiction than before.</div>
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Currently the United States is mostly ignoring a burgeoning problem in the south as our borders are repeatedly and violently being breeched by drug cartels. Americans are dying over the importation and distribution of drugs and the decriminalization of such products would do a great deal to curtail such unnecessary violence. Putting a heroin addict in prison for a balloon (I've seen Pulp Fiction:) ) does nothing to help them fight their addiction. Drug rehabilitation rather than criminal action being taken against the user would do much more for the person and society as a whole.<br />
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*I cannot stress enough I am advocating for the <u>decriminalization</u> not the legalization of cocaine, heroin, meth, etc.. There is a big difference. </div>
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Here is a few clips of some typically Hollywood liberal TV shows about drugs that I actually enjoy. Weeds may or may not be the best show ever created. </div>
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<iframe allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen" frameborder="0" height="315" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/SolmwnWnWW4" width="420"></iframe>Hailey Dunnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10209251782564923582noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5032006370188860862.post-26080897994902769342012-09-23T20:42:00.001-07:002012-09-23T20:42:41.663-07:00Sandra Fluke: Belle of the Liberal Ball<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="background-color: #f4cccc;"><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">Side note: Never in a billion years thought I'd need to say this, but please do not tell anyone you write for this blog. I, Hailey Dunn, am the sole creator and thus far writer. Especially do not tell prospective grad schools because when they contact me I will tell them I don't know who the hell you are and what is I'm sure an already weak resumé will quickly become as weak as a watered down cranberry vodka. Also, this blog is quite minor so to act like this is your claim to fame is sad to say the least...</span></span><br />
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<span style="background-color: #f4cccc;"><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">Anywho, as I said before, I'd planned to do a piece on Sandra Fluke and now, as many mustangs surely know, is quite an appropriate time to do so. Sandra Fluke... shall I compare thee to a summer's day? No, I won't. You are more like an engorged leech. First of all, I think it's valid to point out that while the subject of human rights should not now or ever be put aside due to other important matters, I think it is the height of stupidity to be focusing so much attention on the care of women's "reproductive health" right now. If we get our economy back up and running your odds of being able to pop Yaz like pez and dance around with a Nuva ring you paid for will be significantly greater. </span></span><br />
<span style="background-color: #f4cccc;"><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">This woman was a nobody really when she was projected into the public eye last winter. She sought to testify in front of the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee on the importance of insurance covered birth control during a birth control mandate discussion, but was blocked from doing so by the big, bad republicans. (It has been stated that her name was submitted too late to be included, but democrats disputed that claim.) She ended up with an audience of democratic House members. Some people heard of this as it was a small scale scandal, but most Americans did not. Rush Limbaugh ended up being the one to catapult her into the public eye and make her smarmy little self the new champion of the feminist movement. On his Feburary 29th show, Limbaugh had this to say about Fluke:</span></span><br />
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<span style="background-color: #f4cccc; line-height: 19.200000762939453px;"><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">"[Fluke] essentially says that she must be paid to have sex—what does that make her? It makes her a slut, right? It makes her a prostitute. She wants to be paid to have sex. She's having so much sex she can't afford the contraception. She wants you and me and the taxpayers to pay her to have sex."</span></span><br />
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<span style="background-color: #f4cccc;"><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="line-height: 19.200000762939453px;">His words, not mine. I'm not saying she's a slut, but her demanding that institutions who object to coverage that includes contraception on moral grounds be forced by the government to still provide it is repugnant. As a student of Georgetown University at the time, her complaint was that a number of students, along with her married friend and polycystic ovarian syndrom having lesbian friend, could not afford to take birth control they needed due to the stringent requirements placed on the dispensing of contraception by the university's health plan. Through her lamentations of the Jesuit college's discrimination of women and woeful assertion that her possessing ovaries should not constitute having to choose between healthcare and education, a vulnerable down trodden picture of a beleaguered graduate student was painted. What this comes down to is freedom of religion. While I personally know few Catholics as I come from a largely Baptist town, I can say the ones I do know are quite earnest in their convictions. It is not their legal responsibility or moral imperative to provide or provide access to a service or product that is in contrast to their own beliefs.</span></span></span><br />
<span style="background-color: #f4cccc;"><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="line-height: 19.200000762939453px;">Part of her testimony adresses the inability to get free or discounted birth control as free clinics are being downsized and shut down. A quick google of Planned Parenthood, the name brand free clinic if you will, will tell you that there are currently 820 locations and as of the fiscal year 2008-2009, it had a budget of $1.04 billion. From July 1st 2009- June 30th 2010, it was reported that PP received $487.4 million in "government health services grants and reimbursements"(coming from tax dollars) and performed 329,455 abortions. Let us all take a moment to mourn the hard times of Planned Parenthood. </span></span></span><br />
<span style="background-color: #f4cccc;"><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="line-height: 19.200000762939453px;">Interesting fact, Fluke, prior to attending Georgetown, was a women's rights activist and stated that she had examined the health insurance policy of the university and decided to attend with the purpose of taking on the coverage it carried. Basically, she knew what she was getting into, knew it was a Catholic institution that did not believe in administering contraception for non-medical purposes and jumped in with both feet to start trouble. She was also initially billed as a 23 year old coed, but we now know that she is in fact 31. I don't know about you, but rather than an impassioned student activist, she's kind of starting to come off to me as a liberal pawn. Also, not sure when this was updated but according to US News, to be a full time law student at Georgetown costs $46,865 and part time costs $33,500. </span></span></span><span style="background-color: #f4cccc; font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; line-height: 19.200000762939453px;">Unless you have a hefty scholarship, that's a lot of money to be paying for school and you can sit there and tell me that you don't have $100/ month? (That's what according to her testimony her PCOS having friend needed for her prescription) Georgetown is also</span><span style="background-color: #f4cccc;"><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="line-height: 19.200000762939453px;"> ranked #13 in the US in terms of law schools. While that is nothing to scoff at, that means that if you are so in need of contraception coverage, you have 12 other even better schools to choose from that probably don't care if or why you're "on the pill". Lucky you!</span></span></span><br />
<span style="background-color: #f4cccc;"><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="line-height: 19.200000762939453px;">I have much more to complain about in regards to this vile woman, but this is a good start. I don't take kindly to someone going to great lengths to be painted a victim and as far as I'm concerned, that's exactly what she did. She has since ridden the wave of her "poor little me" routine all the way to being a speaker at the DNC where she proved that you can put lipstick on a pig, but it's still a pig. </span></span></span>Hailey Dunnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10209251782564923582noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5032006370188860862.post-71929864370446867692012-09-20T08:58:00.001-07:002012-09-20T09:02:32.611-07:00Narcissism and Lies From the Obama Campaign<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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No, that is not a kindergartener's finger painting or the picture from a crime scene. This my friends is a new print made by Ross Bruggink and Dan Olson of Studio MPLS. They are legitimately trying to sell this to people for $35 a pop. Never mind the fact that it is the height of narcissism and disrespect to replace the field of stars representing the 50 states with a campaign symbol, but it's ugly as hell too.<br />
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Anyways, congressional budget analysts came out yesterday and said that 6 million people, mostly residing in the middle class Obama claims he wants to help so much, will face a tax penalty for not having medical coverage. The average penalty is projected to be around $1,200 in 2016. The non-partisan office projected 4 million people would be effected when the analysis was originally done in 2010, but they now admit they were off by about 2 million people. No big deal or anything.<br />
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This is a pretty substantial blow to Obama's campaign as he has repeatedly vowed to not raise taxes for who he deems to be the middle class (individuals making less than $200,000/year, families making less than $250,000/year) However, 80% of those being penalized would make $55,850 or less for an individual and $115,250 or less for a family. Smack dab in the midst of the middle class. The penalty, when it goes into effect in 2016, is expected to raise $6.9 billion.<br />
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If you remember back to this summer, the Supreme Court upheld Obamacare and its corresponding penalties by saying it was constitutional as it was within congressional power to levy a tax. However, one of the major points made about the bill was that this would be a penalty, not a tax. Oops, it's a tax. It is expected that a number of people will opt to simply pay the tax come 2016 as the average health insurance for a family costs $15,800 and the average cost for a single plan is $4,300. Comparably, the tax/penalty/whatever the f it is, is relatively cheap.<br />
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This is the latest broken promise form Obama and his administration. I can't say he has at any point promised anything for me and mine, but to a number of his supporters this is a slap in the face. Raising taxes under the guise of a penalty is deplorable and people will realize and are realizing what he is doing. Will this hurt his poll numbers? Stay tuned.Hailey Dunnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10209251782564923582noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5032006370188860862.post-25732928671871344612012-09-19T09:04:00.000-07:002012-09-19T09:04:24.030-07:00Political Drinking Game<center>
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">Blame it on my 3 day Nyquil bender, but watching the above clip made me realize that it desperately needed a drinking game. Basically, take a sip every time he says "uhh" and finish your drink when he says "I believe in the redistribution of wealth" because let's face it, once you hear that you'll want to finish your whole drink. </span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">Definition of redistribution of wealth<span style="color: #222222; line-height: 15px;">: The transfer of income, wealth or property from some individuals to others caused by a social mechanism "such as tax laws, monetary policies, or tort law"</span></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="color: #222222; line-height: 15px;">Definition of communism: A</span><span style="color: #222222; line-height: 15px;"> sociopolitical movement that aims for a classless society structured upon communal ownership of the means of production and the end of wage labour and private property.</span></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="color: #222222; line-height: 15px;">Definition of socialism: </span><span style="color: #222222; line-height: 15px;">A political and economic theory of social organization that advocates that the means of production, distribution, and exchange should be owned or regulated by the community as a whole</span></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="background-color: #f4cccc; color: #222222; line-height: 15px;">Gone are the days of the "Red Scare", now we elect people with these ideologies to be our president. Terrifying</span></span>Hailey Dunnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10209251782564923582noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5032006370188860862.post-52761969776813026462012-09-18T18:02:00.001-07:002012-09-18T18:10:11.153-07:00Media Bias<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="background-color: #f4cccc; font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">Today as I lay in bed missing class and succumbing to the flu and what I was sure to be my untimely death, I took a little time to do a cross-study on the articles popping up on Fox, CNN and MSNBC. As an avid Fox viewer, I am inundated with my friends complaints of blatant bias on this channel. While admittedly there is a bias, I can safely say the main bias in this country is not in favor of the right. Reading the articles posted on the latter twos' websites, Yahoo, etc.. I was absolutely livid. Some of these articles all but said Obama had already won.</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: #f4cccc; font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">This comes in the face of the whole Mother Jones scandal. If you're not aware, Mother Jones is an allegedly independent political website that posted a video of Mitt Romney making some off the record remarks to financial backers. One of the 'offensive remarks was this:</span><br />
<em style="line-height: 23px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"><span style="background-color: #f4cccc; font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">"There are 47 percent of the people who will vote for the president no matter what. All right, there are 47 percent who are with him, who are dependent upon government, who believe that they are victims, who believe the government has a responsibility to care for them, who believe that they are entitled to health care, to food, to housing, to you-name-it. That that's an entitlement. And the government should give it to them. And they will vote for this president no matter what."</span></em><br />
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<span style="background-color: #f4cccc; font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="line-height: 23px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">Is that wrong? No. 46.4% of people in this country pay no or negative taxes. The fact of the matter is that Obama supports government programs that Romney does not and getting voters who are habitually dependent on these programs to vote for a candidate not whole heartedly for them just won't happen. As it stands, Democrats receive </span><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: none; line-height: 18px;">63% of the welfare recipient vote, 67% of food stamp recipients vote, 74% of the vote of those on Medicaid, and 81% of those in public housing. The GOP has all but had Kanye West come out and say, "Republicans don't care about poor people" and this identifier has been a hard one to shake. Personally, I find this completely ridiculous. Romney's above quote is indicative of the position of many people who identify as aligning with the GOP and Romney's campaign in particular. He is not disparaging people who are down on their luck and need temporary governmental assistance. What he and his party are advocating for are personal responsibility. </span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: none; background-color: #f4cccc; line-height: 18px;">The three inalienable rights are life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. It is the responsibility of the government to provide you access to those free. Nothing more, nothing less. People living significant portions of their lives receiving food stamps, collecting unemployment and living in government housing are blatantly taking advantage of a system Obama is supporting and as Romney said, he can't do anything to win that vote. Why try? </span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: none; background-color: #f4cccc; line-height: 18px;">But I digress... The media is so obviously biased it is sickening.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: none; background-color: #f4cccc; line-height: 18px;">So as I lay there now angry and still sick knowing the end was imminent for me, my connect to a power source window popped up. My charger was of course out in my car so I got up breathing like Darth Vader and looking like a Walking Dead character to go get it. When I was walking to the garage, I bumped into one of the maintenance men for my apartment. Upon seeing me, he suggested I go to the doctor. I told him I was trying but I was having trouble getting an appointment until Thursday. His suggestion? Go to the ER, tell them I don't have insurance I'll get seen in a couple of hours and "it will probably be free. Someone will pay for it but it don't gotta be us. Haha" Are you effing kidding me? We're all screwed. And I'm still dying. The end. </span></span><br />
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<span style="background-color: #f4cccc; font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">The above two "polls" are from ABC's website. Clearly according to them Obama has been ahead the entire time and Romney doesn't have a shot in hell</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: none; background-color: #f4cccc; line-height: 18px;">This poll comes from the Rasmussen Reports and shows bumps in popularity corresponding with conventions, scandals, etc.. </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: none; background-color: #f4cccc; line-height: 18px;">This banner is from the top of ABC's website. As you can see, of the eight political figures ABC deemed important enough to merit inclusion, only 3 of the 8 are Republicans. In the middle is Romney and Obama, on either side of them are their wives followed by Obama's VP and inexplicably the current House minority leader (Where's Romney's VP?) Followed by Senate majority leader Harry Reid and Speaker of the House John Boehner. While this may seem insignificant, this is a classic example of a subliminal message by a liberal media outlet. </span></span></div>
Hailey Dunnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10209251782564923582noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5032006370188860862.post-8473955401355564322012-09-12T13:20:00.002-07:002012-09-12T13:27:20.695-07:00Libya, Egypt Erupt in Chaos Over Movie- Americans Die<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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On the 11th anniversary of the tragedy of 9/11, Muslims offended over the movie <i>Innocence of Muslims </i>stormed the American embassies in both Cairo, Egypt and Benghazi, Libya. As if the tearing down of the American flag in Egypt was not enough, the U.S, Ambassador to Libya and three other embassy staff were killed.<br />
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Basically, Israeli-American Sam Bacile made this movie called <i>Innocence of Muslims </i>knowing it would incite violence. In it, according to the Associated Press, Mohammad is portrayed as a pedophile and homosexual and there is a scene in which he is having sex. Since Islam considers any depiction of the prophet to be offensive, Muslims thought this crossed the line. This film was promoted by the Florida pastor Terry Jones who in 2010 threatened to burn the Quran. We all remember the madness that resulted from that. While Bacile sought to anger people with his film, the blame of the killings and destruction cannot be placed solely on him. It is now being reported that the movie was only a pretext for the violence, not the reason for it. It has been postulated that since this came so soon after a call from Al Quaeda leader Ayman al-Zawahiri to revenge the June killing of a senior Libyan member of the terror group Abu Yahya al-Libi, it has more to do with that.<br />
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Blame for the attacks is currently being placed on a number of militia groups, one of which is Ansar al-Sharia, but the group is denying involvement. Here is a rundown of what happened:<br />
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The United States Embassy in Cairo issued the following press release in regards to the aforementioned film:<br />
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In Egypt, 2,000 protestors gathered outside of the US Embassy, a number scaled the walls of said Embassy, took down the American flag and attempted to raise a black flag with the slogan, "There is no God but God, and Mohammad is his messenger"<br />
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Next, the violence and outrage spread to Libya, a hotbed of political unrest where militant groups frequently take the law into their own hands as of late. As armed men stormed the consulate, firing at buildings and throwing handmade bombs into the compound, Ambassador Christopher Stephens and 3 others attempted to flee. The doctor who treated the Ambassador is reporting the cause of death was asphyxiation resulting from smoke inhalation which caused stomach bleeding and ultimately, death.<br />
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What happened in Cairo and especially in Libya was nothing short of a travesty. On a day that already holds so much pain for Americans, this proved to be just too much. The American Embassy in Cairo unnecessarily apologized on behalf of the United States to an entire religion for a movie made by one man looking to incite violence. How was their apology repaid? With 2 destroyed consulates and four dead Americans. Libyan leader Mohammed Magarief apologized to the United States, but this is the textbook definition of too little too late.<br />
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The United States diplomatic policy in dealing with these animals is a joke. (Yes, they are animals. PEOPLE don't do <a href="http://marcchamot.blogspot.com/2012/09/the-photo-that-defines-destroys-obamas.html" target="_blank">this</a>, animals do.) Muslims in general I do not believe are a violent or ill-natured people, but there are factions within the religion with such malice that we cannot expect to reason with them. The above apology is an embarrassment to America and even the White House took measures to distance themselves from it. When you are dealing with groups so hell bent on destruction, you must stand your ground not say thank you, wipe your chin and walk away. Why a nation as powerful as the United States is so hesitant to stand up for itself is beyond me. What happened to speak softly and carry a big stick? I'll tell you what happened:<br />
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Those who carried out the attacks realize that we have gone soft. Sure we got bin Laden, but this administration has been one of appeasement more than one of action. President Obama spoke today and vowed that justice will be served, but to the families and friends of those we lost, that is not enough. America has become the joke of the world. Once upon a time, if the US had been a frat it would have been the top of the top tier. Every member would have looked like a Ralph Lauren model, been a billionaire and drove an Aston Martin. Their girlfriends would have all been Dallas Cowboy cheerleaders and their 'slams' would have all been Victoria's Secret Models. Every other country would have wanted to make us a sandwich all of the time. Now, we're on the verge of having our charter revoked. Even France wouldn't heat us up a hot pocket. It's time for America to take a stand against the blatant disrespect. The red, white and blue doesn't bow down, it stands up and it is imperative that in the face of these attacks, America does so.Hailey Dunnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10209251782564923582noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5032006370188860862.post-35558071899084217102012-09-11T08:03:00.005-07:002012-09-11T08:07:44.438-07:00September 11th<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Where were you on September 11th? A question we ask each other, a question our children and our children's children will ask us. Of course we all know the answer. What we were doing the millisecond we found out, who we were with and where we were will forever be etched into our memories. This day, much like December 7th, 1941 was a day that shall live in infamy. It seems like only yesterday I was sitting in Mrs Durr's class. As a fourth grader, I didn't really pay much attention to what the adults did. I was more worried about retaining my customary top spot, grade wise, in the class. That day however, everyone took notice. My teacher's husband traveled a lot for work and not so unexpectedly, he was on a plane that day headed for Washington DC. He was fine but she was unable to reach him for quite awhile so she was of course inconsolable. Once the teachers found out, the entire school broke into hysterics but we were not told why. Our teachers spent almost the entire day out in the hall together crying while we watched movies. When I got home I saw that my mother, who never really watched the news, was doing nothing but watching the news and they kept showing a video of a building falling down. She told me it was a movie being made. I was a dumb kid so I bought it and went back to probably playing with Barbies. That night, my parents dropped my brother, sister and I off at my grandmothers so they could go to dinner. My dad pulled my grandmother into another room to talk to her and then they left. My grandfather loaded several gas cans into his car to go get gas and was gone for hours. We were told we could only watch videos that night because there was "some stuff happening on tv that my parents didn't agree with". However, I was a brat and there was something on TV that I wanted to watch so I of course had to beg my grandmother to let me watch it. She left my blissfully ignorant brother and sister to watch <i>Alvin & the Chipmunks</i> and pulled me into her room. She told me she would let me see what was on TV but that I mustn't cry. What I saw on that TV was more than any nine year old could possibly comprehend. The next day at school, there was a mixture of children whose parents had told them about what had happened and those whose parents, like my parents, attempted to leave their innocence somewhat intact. In a cruel twist, those who hadn't been made aware of what was happening found out from their panicked and misinformed peers and were all the more upset.<br />
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My story is in no way atypical from that of most of my peers. While people my age are among the youngest able to really remember what happened that day and where they were, the repercussions of it have irrevocably altered the American way of life. Our feeling of security in our own country will never again be as certain as it was before that day.<br />
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September 11, 2001 an entire nation lost its innocence. America had not since Pearl Harbor had its borders so violently breeched. The idea that violence of this caliber could reach our own shores was unfathomable before this. America went to war in other countries, the violence did not come to us. Now our guard is up. Now we know that this country is not infallible. Politics aside, what happened that day was beyond awful. Whether you are a republican, democrat, libertarian, socialist, communist or whatever, today is a day that we must all remember what we lost.<br />
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(There is some "language" in the following clips, but I'd be saying some pretty strong words too if I was watching this happen.)</center>
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Good Morning America's Coverage of the Attack- Second Plane Hits
<iframe allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen" frameborder="0" height="315" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/JDM_Dk-OPg4" width="420"></iframe><br />
A News Reporter Has His Camera on the Ground- You Hear the First Plane Hit
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Only Known Footage of the First Plane Hitting- Taken By a Fireman
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Bush Finding Out<br />
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<b><span style="color: red; font-size: x-large;">Never Forget</span></b></center>
Hailey Dunnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10209251782564923582noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5032006370188860862.post-17985592446972795682012-09-06T10:32:00.001-07:002012-09-06T10:32:13.282-07:00Romney's Camp v Obama's <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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In a presidential race, Americans look for the strongest candidate with an iron will capable of making the tough calls and not breaking under the monumental stress put upon the POTUS. For this reason, the candidates tend to show only their overtly masculine side, forsaking their softer, family man sides. For this reason, in recent years candidates have relied on their wives to bring home to the American electorate the fact that behind the visade of stone faced politician there is a human being. It is the job of the wives to humanize their husbands and make them relatable so that people feel they are voting for their neighbor, not a Christian Grey type.<br />
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First up, Ann Romney. I will concede, I am completely biased towards this little gem. She is so precious, raised 5 smokin' hot sons (Do all Mormons look like this??) and holds herself at all times with amazing grace despite her battle with MS. Her speech targeted the American woman and family who can often times feel lost in the mix of politics. Her address was deliberately devoid of policy and targeted the female voters which the democrats have worked overtime to bring in. The liberal agenda has pushed the allegation that Republicans essentially want women dying in the streets as they succumb to various afflictions of their uteruses (Uteri? I don't know the plural form of uterus. I hate that word). Obviously, this is not the case Sandra Fluke, but it has painted the GOP as being at war against women and it was the job of Ann Romney to be like "Ummmmmmm no". And that she did. Unlike Michelle Obama, this was for all intents and purposes Ann's first time speaking to the American people. She got up on that stage in her Oscar de la Renta frock and nailed it. Obviously, her technique could use some tweaking as she is not the wordsmith that Marco Rubio, Paul Ryan, her husband and even I'll concede the Obama's are, but she did really well. Her mission going in: Humanize Mitt, showcase him as a capable leader worthy of the position and show women that the GOP is not against them. I can honestly say I believe from the reception she received both from voters and critics alike, she did succeed. A full transcript of her speech can be read <a href="http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2012/08/28/transcript-ann-romney-speech-at-republican-national-convention/" target="_blank">here</a>. (As far as the GOP "war on women", I have A LOT to say and will cover that in a later post. I despise that piecey bob having woman for having the nerve to say she's standing up for my rights. I don't feel victimized by the GOP one bit as a woman do not believe she represents me or my rights one bit. But that's for another day.)<br />
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Then there's Michelle... Michelle, Michelle, Michelle. NOT a fan. Much like her husband, I perceive her to be opportunistic and the epitome of a nihilist. However, the woman can speak. Chalk it up to her having been a lawyer or the great deal of practice she's had since entering the White House, but her public speaking skills are on par with her deplorable husband's. Her target has always been the family unit and women, but in this particular speech more than just targeting those key demographics, Obama spoke to the men as the heads of struggling families. She spoke of the struggles of her own father and the fact that her husband and the father of her children understand the position of the average American, whereas Romney does not. Her speech was an amalgamation of personal anecdotes with the purpose of portraying the Obamas as a typical American family who understands the heartaches of "the middle class". Despite keeping her speech apolitical, she was able to score points by delivering a message with strong political undercurrents. The gist was that the American family is working hard and deserves a government that understands them and that most people on government assistance aren't lazy degenerates. Her assertion however that her and her husband were average people who dealt with being overwhelmed by student loans and various other problems afflicting the middle class was a touch far fetched. It's hard for most Americans to wax emotional over the woes of a Columbia/ Harvard Law graduate and his wife a Princeton/ Harvard Law graduate.<br />
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Final tally: While both ladies did exceptionally well in regards to putting forth the message their husbands and subsequent parties counted on them for, I'd have to say it's a tie. Ann Romney was tasked with bringing to the attention of the voters the side of Mitt that she knows, loves and depends on while Michelle was tasked with making the case for her husband to be reinstated to a post that, let's be honest, he fouled up in round one. Did either pull into their side independents? Maybe, but speakers such as Marco Rubio and Bill Clinton were under much more pressure to do that while the first ladies were more counted on to solidify and inspire the parties base of voters.<br />
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First, I was overwhelmed by the irony that not long before Bill Clinton took the stage for his 50 minute speech (which was arguably the best of his career) that Sandra Fluke, the Patron Saint of feminism and a woman's right to not be exploited by men, was speaking. Did you ever happen to read into the specifics of the Monica Lewinsky scandal? I was 3-5 when it happened and 6 when the story became public, so while I'd heard of it and knew the basics, the gory details were a little much. I'll never look at a cigar the same way... Anyways, Clinton is a gifted speaker and by all accounts one of the most charismatic people you could ever meet so obviously his speech was going to be convincing whichever way he decided to go with it. Despite his former remarks on Obama's inexperience and tendency to flip-flop, without Obama his wife is out of a job until she gears up for her inevitable 2016 run. An idle wife might start caring about what I am sure is still a philandering husband, so Clinton got up and whole heartedly endorsed a man he had previously cast aspersions on. Frequently going off the cuff and speaking in earnest to a crowd that ate up his every word, Clinton in my personal opinion garnered a great deal of independent voters. Harkening back to the boom of the 1990's, Clinton strongly insinuated that were the American people to reelect Barack Obama, they would be seeing equal prosperity in the very near future. The crowd went wild.</div>
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The goal of the RNC was essentially to pick up more voters in the independents and Ron Paul supporters who are, for all intents and purposes, the prodigal son of the GOP. The goal of the DNC was to convince the American voter base that Obama did the best he could in the time he had, given the circumstances, and that for his promises of prosperity to materialize he needs another term. Did either party accomplish their goals? Only time will tell, but both put up the good fight. As for this evening's speech, from the man who has come to be known as one of the modern great orators, the nation awaits with bated breath as both detractors and those who have drunk the proverbial Kool-Aid of the Obama campaign tune in to see if Obama can reprise his former popularity. </div>
<br />Hailey Dunnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10209251782564923582noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5032006370188860862.post-57789678037828049742012-09-05T08:36:00.001-07:002012-09-11T22:19:09.312-07:00Imma Republican votin for Mitt RMoneyy<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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During my summer sabbatical a lot changed on the political landscape. Romney announced the adorable economic genius (and only 6% body fat having) Paul Ryan as his running-mate and was officially nominated at the Republican National Convention to be the GOP's candidate to take on Obama. The Republicans raised more than $100 million in June, July and August and around $75 million in May for a combined total of just under $400 million for the summer, outstripping Obama. Obama supports gay marriage openly now and has added top political minds Eva Longoria and Kal Penn (Kumar) to his team of miscreants. With so much having had happen since June, it's hard to summarize it, but with the RNC having just recently ended and the DNC in full swing, there is much ground to be covered there.<br />
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Now admittedly due to my night class I have not yet seen Michelle Obama's speech, which I heard was actually very good even if you're not a fan, but as soon as I get to I plan to contrast hers with Ann Romney's because more than ever, this year women seem to be playing a larger role in the arena. But for now, I will leave you with the skit Obama wasted who knows how much time on pandering to the stoner masses. If I were him I probably would too seeing as you'd have to be high to vote him back into office. Also, I can't really tell if Nicki Minaj is being sarcastic (probably), but this is rather catchy!<br />
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**Side Note: One of the best things about going to SMU is the opportunities put before you. Being in college in Dallas during an election year is amazing as it has afforded me the opportunity to take on my second internship in the political realm. As of last week, I began work on the John Carona and Kenneth Sheets campaigns in addition to my phone banking for Mitt Romney. All three are very worthy Republican candidates who we could only be so lucky to have represent us.</center>
Hailey Dunnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10209251782564923582noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5032006370188860862.post-56849615796131351832012-06-28T16:59:00.000-07:002012-06-28T17:23:58.059-07:00Obamacare: A Bigger Threat to the American Public Than Bathsalts?<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="background-color: white;">Today was an exceptionally sad day for America: Obamacare was ruled constitutional by the Supreme Court with a 5:4 vote in favor of upholding it. This decision comes as a shock as many conservatives expected the court to side against the statute.</span><br />
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Here are the players: Justices Kagan, Sotomayor, Ginsburg, Breyer and Roberts all voted in favor of it with Justices Thomas, Scalia, Kennedy and Alito dissenting. The kicker here was that Roberts, who was appointed by Bush II and was expected to vote against the bill, ended up being the deciding vote in ruling it constitutional. There has been some speculation that his decision was a strategic move to cause the public to in November overhaul congress and put in people who will vote in a way that reflects the wishes of their constituents. That's really doubtful though. Seemingly, his motivation was an attempt to distance the SCOTUS from being overtly political and look at the bill from a purely constitutional stand point. His vote forces the issue to again take center stage come November. Currently the biggest crisis facing the United States is job creation and building a more prosperous economy, but now the American public and lawmakers alike are being forced to expend even more energy and time bickering over this bill. This is why there are a number of political pundits arguing for the Justices to be more partisan.<br />
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As for the people who believe that this bill is "good" or the Court's ruling is "not a big issue" or want to babble on about "Ron Paul! 4/20", I just want to slap and shake you. Do you not understand that with the passage of this not only are your rights to choose what you do with your own body being taken away (Yeah all you pro-choicers- big brother is taking away your choice on what to do with your own body. Think about that.) but the government will effectively control 50% of the economy. You think the economy is more important than healthcare? They're interrelated. With the implementation of this you're inviting bureaucracy of DMV proportions into your gastroenterologist's, gynecologist's and cardiologist's offices. I don't know about you, but if I'm in one of those places I want things to move quick like a bunny.<br />
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As far as this being "constitutional": This was ruled constitutional because ti was considered a tax and Congress is within its rights to levy a tax. I repeat: IT WAS ONLY RULED CONSTITUTIONAL BECAUSE IT IS CONSIDERED A TAX. So allow me to say that in order for Justice Roberts to join the majority and rule the bill constitutional he had to make a liar of President Obama, Nancy Pelosi and Harry Reid who all went to great lengths to assure the American public that this was not a tax.<br />
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">Reallyyyyyyy...</span></div>
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Furthermore in regards to a tax here is a brilliant quote form the dissenting opinion of Justice Scalia:<br />
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<span style="color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, Georgia, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 25px;">For all these reasons, to say that the Individual Mandate merely imposes a tax is not to interpret the statute but to rewrite it. Judicial tax-writing is particularly troubling. Taxes have never been popular, see, e.g., Stamp Act of 1765, and in part for that reason, the Constitution requires tax increases to originate in the House of Representatives. See Art. I, §7, cl. 1. That is to say, they must originate in the legislative body most accountable to the people, where legislators must weigh the need for the tax against the terrible price they might pay at their next election, which is never more than two years off.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span style="line-height: 25px;">The Obama administration has strategically maneuvered this bill from the start to get it passed despite the outpouring of distaste for the bill from the public with little to no accountability for those responsible. The bill passed in the Senate with a vote of 60-39 and in the House passed only by a margin of 7 with a vote of 219-212. </span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">A DNC staffer in a moment of pure professionalism tweets about his excitement</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; line-height: 25px;">Why this is good: (</span><u style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; line-height: 25px;">Trying</u><span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; line-height: 25px;"> to be optimistic.) People are mad. Really mad. This could be the push needed to get Barack Hussein Obama out of the White House. While he spends his days trying to grab any vote he can (Supporting gay marriage, granting illegals amnesty, alluding to legalizing marijuana), he just does not have the popularity he had last election. Mitt Romney came out today following the decision and basically promised to start working to appeal this bill before Obama has gotten a chance to clean out his closet at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue. </span><br />
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And as far as those in Washington who voted for this when it came to congress whining about receiving a number of angry phone calls in regards to the congressional decisions before and the SCOTUS decision today:</div>
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Couldn't have said it better myself, Red. </div>Hailey Dunnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10209251782564923582noreply@blogger.com0